Domicile policy: Parties will be consulted, says CM

Medininagar (Jharkhand): Chief Minister Hemant Soren on Sunday said consultations would be held with political parties before finalising on a domicile policy in Jharkhand.

"A consensus would be taken after consulting with political parties before finalising a domicile policy," Soren said to a media query at Bishrampur in Palamau district. He, however, did not announce any date for a meeting on it. All policy decisions would also be consulted with ruling allies, added Soren, who is heading the JMM/Congress/RJD alliance with the support of some independent and one-MLA parties. Jharkhand Janadhikar Manch MLA and former HRD minister Bandhu Tirkey, who lends support to the Soren government, had on July 7 said that domicile policy was one of the issues in his party`s agenda. Tirkey was one of the tribal leaders who had spear-headed the domicile agitation in 2002/03 that claimed eight lives on separate state-wide bandhs. Asserting that his priority was to maintain law and order, the 37-year-old Chief Minister said his ministry would be expanded soon and no independent MLA would be inducted in the cabinet. Soren, along with Rajendra Prasad Singh of the Congress and RJD`s Annapurna Devi took oath on July 13 and sailed through the floor test on Thursday. PTI