New Delhi, April 30: New Delhi: The Bharatiya Janata Party Parliamentary Board, which met in New Delhi on Friday, has decided to put on hold its earlier decision of withdrawing support to the Shibu Soren government in Jharkhand.
Soren had on Thursday written to BJP president Nitin Gadkari apologising to him and senior leaders Lal Krishna Advani and Sushma Swaraj for voting in favour of the United Progressive Alliance government on the cut motion.
In his letter, Soren conceded that his support to the UPA government during the cut motion moved by the Opposition was a mistake. He pleaded with Swaraj for justice for the people of Jharkhand.
The JMM leader wrote that he had sacrificed his life for the people of Jharkhand and was now indisposed.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM)-led government in Jharkhand was reduced to a minority on Wednesday after the BJP withdrew its support, as it was reportedly upset with Soren for voting with the UPA government on the cut motion.
After the BJP’s pullout, the ruling coalition has been reduced to 28 from 46 in a House of 81. Soren was sworn in as the Chief Minister of Jharkhand on December 30, 2009 for the third time.
He had formed the government with a five-party coalition. Soren had secured the support of 44 MLAs in the 81-member House after the assembly elections in Jharkhand gave a fractured verdict.
The JMM had 18 seats, BJP had 18 seats, Janata Dal-United (JD-U) had two seats, All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) had five seats and Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch (JJM) had one seat in the assembly.
The Congress has 14 seats in the assembly.
–Agencies