"Will hold talks with AICC General Secretary, Mallikarjun Kharge": Congress MLA Rajesh Kachhap

New Delhi [India], February 18 (ANI): Amid speculation of a possible rift between Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the grand old party over the new cabinet, Congress MLA Rajesh Kachhap asserted that they will hold meetings with AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge.
As eight ministers took the oath in the new Champai Soren cabinet in Jharkhand on Saturday, some Congress MLAs expressed discontent with the expansion that allegedly excluded new faces which was their demand.
"We have come to meet the senior leaders. We will have talks with AICC General Secretary KC Venugopal and party chief Mallikarjun Kharge about our problems," Kachhap told ANI on Saturday.
Meanwhile, Congress MLAs from Jharkhand arrived at the Delhi Airport.
Earlier, Congress MLA Dipika Pandey Singh claimed that they presented their thoughts before the cabinet expansion happened.
"Our demand was that if the new government was being formed and the cabinet was being reshuffled, then new faces should have been given a chance," Singh said while speaking to ANI.
Congress MLA Anup Singh said that the MLAs have intimated the Pradesh Congress Committee president about their concern and their demand remains the same.
"We are 12 people in total. We have shared our concern with our PCC president through a letter. Our demand is the same as before," Anup Singh said.
"Attending the oath ceremony does not mean that we have forgotten our demands. We are only trying to let our party know about our concerns," he added.
After meeting the party MLAs following the swearing-in ceremony, Jharkhand Congress President Rajesh Thakur said that the party will discuss the matter.
"They had expressed their feelings even before the oath-taking ceremony. They were unhappy, they had gone to the swearing-in ceremony at our request. We are aware of their feelings. We will discuss it," Thakur said.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Champai Soren on Friday allotted portfolios to ministers, by keeping the departments like home and personnel for himself.
CM Soren kept the Department of Personnel, Administrative Reforms and Rajbhasha, Department of Home, Department of Cabinet Secretariat and Vigilance.
JMM leaders Mithilesh Kumar Thakur, Basant Soren - JMM leader and brother of former CM Hemant Soren, Hafizul Hasan, Bebi Devi, Deepak Birua, Congress' Rameshwar Oraon, Banna Gupta and Badal Patralekh took oath as ministers during the swearing-in ceremony held at Raj Bhavan in Ranchi on Friday.
Earlier on February 2, Champai Soren was sworn in as chief minister of the state and on February 5, the coalition government won the floor test with a 47:29 majority.
(ANI)