BJP MLAS continue to agitate for declaring Marandi as LOP

RANCHI: Jharkhand Assembly Speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato on Wednesday counted strength of the Opposition BJP MLAS as 25, making it clear that he is yet to take a call on declaring its legislative party leader Babulal Marandi as the Leader of Opposition in the House. Stating parties mumerical size in the house for allotment of time to members for speaking in debate on Income and Expenditure of 2020-21 fiscal’, Mahato mentioned strength of Jharkhand Vikas Morcha (Prajatantrik) as 3, despite the fact that Marandi has already merged JVM-P LP with the BJP and its rest two

legislators switching over to the Congress. Dissatisfied BJP legislators clapped and thumped the house table, bowed and knelt with folded hands urging the Speaker to “do justice” to their demand.

The Speaker said, “I understand your concern, and it will be decided ‘yatha sighra’ (at the earliest). Try to understand that it is a legal process and everyone knows that it takes time. Dont exert unnecessary pressure.”

Marandi was not present in the house on Wednesday. On past three days of the ongoing assembly session, he has been seen sitting silently on the seat alloted to him during the special session between January 6-8. After electing Marandi as their legislative party leader on February 24 last, the BJP MLAS had given a letter to the Speaker’s office to declare the former chief minister as LOP. The BJP legislators have been staging protests in support of their demand since the opening day of the month-long Budget session of the house.