By IANS,
Ranchi : The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), which had supported the Manmohan Singh government during the crucial trust vote in July and has been rewarded with the chief minister’s post here, has stepped up efforts to get two berths in the central ministry.
Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM chief Shibu Soren last week met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to demand two berths in the central government, party sources said.
“We have a right to get two berths in the union government,” Soren had said before the meeting.
JMM is demanding one cabinet berth and a minister of state post.
Soren is likely to visit New Delhi again later this week in an effort to meet Congress president Sonia Gandhi after failing to do so last week.
JMM, which has five MPs in the Lok Sabha, had supported the Manmohan Singh government during the crucial trust vote July 22.
If JMM’s demand is met, the two party candidates who may get ministerial berths in the central government are Teklal Mahto and Hemlal Murmu. Mahto reportedly met Pranab Mukherjee, senior Congress leader and external affairs minister, Sunday night, party sources said.
Mahto and Murmu are eyeing a place in the union ministry as they had worked hard to ensure that Soren becomes chief minister. Their hopes went up after Samajwadi Party announced it would not join the union ministry.