Madhu Koda-led UPA govt romps home amid Opposition boycott

Ranchi, Sep 20 (UNI) The fortnight-long political uncertainty in Jharkhand, which cropped up on September 5 following the resignation of four Ministers from Arjun Munda Cabinet, came to an end today with the Madhu Koda-led government proving its majority in the house.

The treasury bench garnered 41 votes in the 82-member Assembly against a single vote cast by CPI(ML)'s Vinod Singh. However, the entire Opposition NDA boycotted the proceedings, demanding the election of a new Speaker first.

As Mr Koda placed the motion at 1100 hrs, as the house assembled, the Opposition created a ruckus in support of their demand.

Former Speaker Inder Singh Namdhari (JD-U) demanded that the House conduct the election of the Speaker first before taking up the trial of strength.

Leader of Opposition and former Chief Minister Arjun Munda also demanded the same followed by other BJP members Saryu Rai and Ravindra Rai.

Mr Balmuchu stuck to the agenda of trust vote, prompting the Opposition to walk out raising slogans and accusing the government of breaching the spirit of Constitution.

He contended that since the posts of Speaker and Deputy Speaker were vacant, the Governor had appointed him to conduct the proceedings of the House and it was not a violation of law or the Constitution.

When the Munda government fell on September 14, the then Speaker Mr Namdhari also resigned. The post of Deputy Speaker had been lying vacant for a long time.

Lone CPI(ML) member Vinod Kumar Singh, who voted against the UPA government, expressed concern over the election of an Independent MLA as the Chief Minister, saying the JMM, despite having the highest number of 17 MLAs, was not treated properly.

After the show of strength, the officiating Speaker adjourned the House sine die.

Later defending his decision to take up the motion of trust for the newly-installed Koda government first, Mr Balmuchu said he had acted according to constitutional provisions.

Talking to reporters here after the confidence motion, Mr Balmuchu said he was nominated by the Governor as an officiating Speaker despite the post of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker lying vacant.

''Therefore I had the right to conduct the proceedings of confidence motion first,'' he asserted.

Refuting the opposition's charge of violating the spirit of the Constitution, Mr Balmuchu noted that the NDA members were making it an issue today though the post of Deputy Speaker was lying vacant from their regime only.

Governor Syed Sibtey Razi also asserted that he had not created any precedent by appointing an officiating Speaker to conduct the floor test of the new government.

Mr Razi defending his move -- which has come under intense criticism from the opposition -- said so far four such appointments had been done in the state by his predecessors and this time also it was done according to article 180 (1) of the Constitution, a Raj Bhavan communique said here.

''There was nothing in wrong in it,'' the Governor told an NDA delegation led by leader of Opposition Arjun Munda who handed over a letter protesting against the officiating Speaker conducting the floor test, instead of electing a presiding officer first Today's extended monsoon session, the second in the past week, was necessitated after Mr Koda, a UPA-backed Independent MLA, and three other Ministers were sworn in on September 18.

The Governor had then asked the new Chief Minister to prove his majority by September 25.

On September 14, the erstwhile Arjun Munda-led NDA government bowed out out of power without facing the floor test.

UNI TEAM VD RS2005