Jharkhand finance minister Radhakrishna Kishore on Friday accused the BJP of trying to play politics of horse-trading ahead of the upcoming Rajya Sabha elections. Speaking to reporters at the Circuit House in Dhanbad after being welcomed by Congress workers, he said the BJP did not have the required numbers to win a Rajya Sabha seat but was still preparing to field a candidate.
“The BJP does not have enough legislators to secure a Rajya Sabha seat. If it still decides to contest, it clearly indicates an attempt to indulge in the politics of buying and selling legislators,” Kishore said.
He claimed that the ruling Mahagathbandhan was in a comfortable position with the support of 56 MLAs, including those from the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), Congress, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and Left parties. “A candidate requires 28 votes to win a Rajya Sabha seat. Our alliance is strong and united,” he added.
On the question of the Congress candidate for the election, Kishore said the party would field its own nominee, although the final decision would be taken by the party high command.
Responding to reports of differences with the state Congress leadership, the minister denied any personal rift. “I have no personal dispute with the Pradesh Congress president. Any differences are related only to party policies and principles, not to any individual,” he said.
Kishore also spoke on the ongoing debate over Jharkhand’s language policy. He said it would be incorrect to describe the issue as a controversy and termed it a lapse that can be corrected. “Chief Minister Hemant Soren has constituted a high-level committee to examine the matter. A meeting has been scheduled for June 3,” he said.
The minister said regional languages such as Bhojpuri, Maithili and Angika are widely spoken in several districts bordering Bihar and deserve due recognition. “All tribal languages must be respected, but making a language compulsory in areas where it is neither spoken nor taught and where teachers are unavailable is not practical,” he added.
