No agenda to topple Munda govt : Babulal Marandi

Ranchi, May 24 (UNI) Former Jharkhand Chief Minister Babulal Marandi, who resigned from the BJP accusing the state government of ''corruption'', has clarified he has no agenda to topple the government.

''Fresh elections should be held in the state if the Arjun Munda government falls,'' he told UNI after his return from New Delhi.

Mr Marandi, who also resigned from the Lok Sabha, said his resignation had been tendered on the issues involving corruption, extremism and poor development and it should not be seen as a ''ploy'' to destabilise the BJP-led NDA government.

He reiterated that he did not have any agenda to topple the state government.

''I am not even in favour of hammering out a new coalition to rule the state if the present regime fails to continue,'' he clarified.

Asked about his next strategy, Mr Marandi said he was not in a hurry to launch his new party and on May 26 he would meet opposition leader and former Deputy Chief Minister Stephen Marandi under the banner of Jharkhand Vikash Morcha, a non-governmental organisation.

''I took the decision to resign from the BJP after a lot of consideration as I was associated with it for a long time... I will not take any decision in haste,'' he asserted.

On his three-point agenda, Mr Marandi said, ''If Mr Munda addresses them earnestly then I won't have any problem in supporting the government.'' To Mr Munda's recent counter-allegation that the Naxalite movement gained ground during his predecessor's tenure, Mr Marandi, the first Chief Minister of Jharkhand, shot back, ''Yes it was there...We read about dacoity and theft in Ramayana and Mahabharata too...But I tried to address the issue seriously.'' ''But the present BJP government is not giving due attention to the problem. Development is also not taking place in the right direction leading to spurt in Naxalite movement,'' he said.

To a question he said he had been informing the BJP leadership of his grievances for the past three years ''but no one listened to him''.

The BJP enjoys a thin majority in the assembly with the ruling NDA comprising BJP-30, JD(U)-6, NCP-1, IND-2, JP-1, AJSU-2 and one nominated member, having a total if 43, members, while the opposition UPA comprises JMM-17, Cong-9, RJD-7, CPI (ML)-1, UDGP-2, FB-2 and IND-1 with a total of 39.

UNI PRS TJP PL LR RK1418