Former Chief Minister Babulal Marandi on Wednesday sent his reply to Jharkhand Assembly speaker Rabindra Nath Mahato, who is looking into the legality of claims and counterclaims of the merger of the JVM with the BJP and Congress party.
Besides Marandi, the office of the Speaker had sent notice to two other MLAs of the erstwhile JVM Pradeep Yadav and Bandhu Tirkey. They were directed to submit their reply by Wednesday.
“I submitted my reply through my lawyer RN Sahay. I am in home isolation following recovery from Covid-19. My lawyer will be able to explain legal nitty-gritty. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has validated the merger of the JVM in the BJP. I voted in the recently held Rajya Sabha election as the BJP candidate. Due process of law was followed in the completing merger process,” Marandi said.
In February Marandi returned to the BJP fold, the party he had left 14 years back. He has formed the JVM after quitting the BJP and contested subsequent Assembly and parliamentary elections.
In the last Assembly election Marandi, Yadav and Tirkey were elected as MLA from the JVM fold. Both Yadav and Tirkey were opposed to merger in the BJP and they wanted to merge the party in the Congress. Marandi expelled them from the party at two different points of time thus he remained the lone MLA of the party. It was a well calculated move to avoid any hindrance in the smooth division of the legislative fold of the party which was necessary to complete the merger process.
Later on, Yadav and Tirkey claimed they represent the original JVM and announced merger of the JVM in the Congress. But the ECI rejected their claim for merger and declared them as independent. In the meantime, the BJP declared Marandi as Leader of Opposition in the House. But, the Assembly Speaker declined to recognize him as leader of opposition, while raising question over legality of merger of the JVM in the BJP.
Yadav and Tirkey also filed their reply claiming that both of them constitute two third majority of the JVM legislative fold and due process was adopted in the merger.
Speaking to The Pioneer Assembly Speaker confirmed that his office has received their reply.
“Now their reply will be examined and legal opinion will be taken. No new date has been fixed for hearing. I want to settle this issue as early as possible,” he said.
