Soren to face floor test on Jan 7; Teklal pro-tem Speaker

Abiding by Jharkhand Governor K Sankaranarayanan`s directive to take oath within 10 days, Chief Minister Shibu Soren today said he would take the floor test on January 7.

Ranchi: Abiding by Jharkhand Governor K
Sankaranarayanan`s directive to take oath within 10 days,
Chief Minister Shibu Soren today said he would take the floor
test on January 7.

"The Cabinet has met here and decided to convene the
Assembly on January 4 and move the confidence motion on
January 7," Soren told reporters soon after taking the oath.

The three-member Cabinet also includes AJSU chief Sudesh
Mahto and BJP`s state unit head Raghuvar Das.

Five-time JMM MLA Teklal Mahto has been appointed as
the pro-tem Speaker to conduct the House proceedings. The
Governor will address the House on January 9.

Soren for talks with Maoists

Making a fresh offer of talks with
the Maoists, the Jharkhand government today said that the
state`s Naxal policy would be reviewed.

"We are ready for talks. They should shun violence and
tell us what they want. Do they want to run the government? If
so, how? They should come forward for talks," Soren told a
joint press conference with cabinet ministers Raghuvar Das and
Sudesh Mahto.

Mahto, who had introduced a Naxal policy when he was the
Home Minister in the Arjun Munda government in 2005, said
the government would review it.

On acquisition of land for industry, Soren said there
should be a good rehabilitation package. "See, how people lost
their land and did not get compensation after the setting up
of the HEC (Heavy Engineering Corporation). We would like to
have a policy, which will give housing, employment and
monetary benefits. They (land donors) should not suffer any
loss," Soren said.

The government would review earlier compensation package,
while NREGA would be made more effective and BPL citizens
would be given 35 kilogram rice per month at the minimum
possible price, Soren, whose government is backed by the BJP
and the AJSU, said.

In its manifesto, the BJP had promised to provide rice
and wheat to BPL families at Rs one per kg and salt at 25
paise per kg.

Soren`s court date coincides with commencing of Assembly

Besides commencement
of the first session of the new Assembly, January 4 is also
the date on which Soren has been asked to appear before a Giridih court in
connection with 35-year-old murder case.

During the last hearing a month ago, the Additional
District and Sessions judge had directed Soren to appear on
January 4.

The Jhakhand Assembly has also been convened on the
same day.

Soren is one of the accused in a double murder case
lodged in 1974. The quarrel was over the killing of a goat.
Soren had appeared before the court several times in
the past.

-PTI

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