The leadership crisis in Jharkhand was resolved on Friday after a marathon three-hour meeting between state Chief Minister Arjun Munda and five disgruntled independent ministers in New Delhi. It was decided that Munda would stay on as chief minister.
The rapproachment was brought at the initiative of senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader incharge of Jharkhand affairs Rajnath Singh.
After the meeting, Singh told reporters in the presence of Munda and the ministers that whatever "misunderstanding" was there between them, had been removed and "they are all fully satisfied".
A prominent "dissident" among the five ministers, Sudesh Mahato, who is holding the Home portfolio, said, "There is no dispute now over the leadership issue as most of the differences have been resolved. The demand for change of leadership does not exist anymore."
Taking the patch-up in his stride, Munda said such differences do crop up in a "big family". "But we have decided to work together for the development of Jharkhand."
Mahato and Madhu Kora, another dissident Minister, said that it had been decided that all the issues would be discussed at the level of coordination committee under a common minimum programme.
Before their talks with Singh over lunch, the dissident ministers had a meeting with the Janata Dal-United Parliamentary Board chairman Sharad Yadav to discuss the issue.
Munda heads a coalition government of National Democratic Alliance partners -- BJP and JD-U -- which hinges on the support of the five independent ministers.
Friday's meetings come on the heels of BJP deciding to form two coordination committees both at party and NDA level.
One of them would include the dissident ministers who had attacked the working style of Chief Minister Arjun Munda.
The compromise caps days of hectic political activity during which the disruntled independent ministers discussed their grievances with central leaders of BJP and JD-U.
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