Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, who is under investigation for amassing wealth running into billions of rupees, is learnt to have appointed Justice Y R Meena -- a retired chief justice of the Gujarat high court -- as his legal advisor.
"There is a threat to my life. There is a conspiracy to annihilate me. I am a victim of conspiracy. I know who are doing all this. Whatever being published in the media is baseless," Koda told newsmen just before entering Chaibasa, about 250 km from Ranchi.
A team of investigators from the Income Tax Department spent Tuesday at the residence of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda, sifting through his papers and questioning him about an alleged Rs 2,000 crore hawala transaction case. The Enforcement Directorate has also begun action against him in New Delhi.The department has asked its officers in Ranchi to bring a list of the seizures and records of statements of his associates, which will be put across to Koda.
The chief ministers of five mineral-rich states on Wednesday urged Prime Minister Manmohan Singh for local value addition in the National Mineral Policy (NMP). They also argued that foreign firms must not be allowed to grab control of prized natural resources. The team consisted of Orissa Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Chhatishgarh CM Raman Singh, Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chauhan and Rajasthan's Vasundhara Raje.
"Their (Arcelor Mittal) management board member Malay Mukherjee was here in Ranchi. He said the company is satisfied with the development of the proposed steel project in Jharkhand," Chief Minister Madhu Koda told reporters in Ranchi. He was reacting to a query that steel tycoon L N Mittal reportedly expressed disappointment with his projects, both in Jharkhand and Orissa, last week.
"If our suggestions on development are not heard, there could be any decision any time," said Jharkhand Pradesh Congress Committee president Pradeep Kumar Balmachu. On October 1, Congress in-charge of Jharkhand Ajay Maken had told the Koda government in clear terms that the continuation of the party's outside support depended on development in the state and steps taken to check corruption. The chief minister, however, expressed optimism that the problems will be solved.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal on Saturday announced its support for Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren in forming the next government in Jharkhand after the resignation of incumbent Madhu Koda.Prasad also dismissed the recent statement of Koda in which he had said he was not joining any government and had dubbed the current political situation 'ill-timed and unnecessary' as just an outburst.
Shibu Soren's hopes of making a comeback as Jharkhand chief minister by replacing incumbent Madhu Koda received a boost today with the Rashtriya Janata Dal assuring the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha supremo of its support. Soren said after his meeting with RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav in Delhi that the railway minister had not only promised his party's backing, but also assured him help in securing the support of independents.
The JMM has convened a crucial meeting of the party's central committee and legislature party on Sunday where a formal decision of withdrawal would be made. Soren is scheduled to call on Governor Syed Sibtey Razi after the party meeting as Razi has allowed his request for an appointment at 7 pm, Raj Bhavan sources said.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha chief Shibu Soren on Tuesday staked claim for the chief ministership of Jharkhand, demanding that the incumbent Madhu Koda should quit soon, failing which support to the state government will be withdrawn."The decision regarding making me Jharkhand chief minister was taken long back but it is getting delayed. Hence, we arrived at the decision to withdraw support from the Koda government if he does not resign now," said Soren.
If there were people willing to offer bribes worth crores of rupees there were definitely other people who were willing to stand behind Madhu Koda's shoulder, offering hints about investing all those rupees. Who were they? asks T V R Shenoy.
The party's decision, however, does not threaten the government's stability.
India's one-day team captain Mahendra Singh Dhoni might not be setting the cricket field on fire these days but it does not affect his brand value.
"We will take a final decision on whether to continue support to the Koda government after January 15. The decision will be taken on the basis of our assessment about how his government performed on development issues," Ajay Maken, party-in-charge of Jharkhand, told reporters.
Plunging the state into political uncertainty, the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha on Sunday decided to withdraw support to the Madhu Koda-led coalition government in Jharkhand and explore the possibility of making its supremo Shibu Soren the chief minister with the support of Independents.The decision was taken after the crucial JMM legislators' meeting in Ranchi today. JMM has seventeen Members of Legislative Assembly in the 81-member House.
In Jharkhand, the company is hopeful of starting work as soon as the mines issue is resolved, while in Orissa, consultants for the detailed project report (DPR) and the socio-economic survey have been appointed.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda on Tuesday smoothly sailed through a threat to his government by defeating an opposition sponsored no-confidence motion by 41-33 in the 81-member Assembly.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda on Tuesday said he would seek the trust vote in the assembly on August 25 and expressed confidence that his government would win the confidence vote.
Congress has been non-committal about joining the government headed by Koda, who is an independent MLA.
On Thursday Koda had submitted a list of 41 MLAs and claimed the support of Sen and CPI-ML (Liberation) legislator Vinod Kumar Singh.
The reports said the four ministers are Madhu Koda, Enos Ekka, Harinarain Rai, and Kamlesh Singh.
Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda has assured Arcelor Mittal, the world's largest steel making company
The stalemate on Mittal Steel's proposed 12-million tonne Jharkhand project is likely to be sorted out at the meeting between the Jharkhand chief minister and the select board members of Mittal Steel.
"I did not get any such letter (announcing withdrawl of support). I learnt about it only through the media. I will speak to Debabrata Biswas (AIFB general secretary) on his party's grievances," Koda said when asked for his reaction.
The decision was taken to keep the BJP out of power.
Polling will take place on Tuesday in 20 constituencies in Jharkhand spread across seven Maoist-hit tribal districts in the second of the five-stage elections to the 81-member assembly.
A BTech and PhD in police, human rights and social justice, Singh joined the federal anti-money laundering investigations agency in 2009 on deputation from Uttar Pradesh where he was serving as a state police service officer.
He was permanently absorbed into the ED cadre in 2014 and has headed some high-profile investigations into the 2G spectrum allocation case, the 2010 Commonwealth Games, the money laundering cases against former Union finance minister P Chidambaram and his son Karti Chidambaram, Andhra Pradesh chief minister Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy and former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, the Aircel Maxis and VVIP choppers case.
Former minister of state for coal Dasari Narayan Rao, an accused in Jharkhand's Amarkonda Murgadangal coal block allocation scam case, on Tuesday said that decisions to allocate coal blocks were taken by then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who was also heading the coal ministry at that time.
Property worth Rs 144 crore, which includes 25 flats and a shopping mall, has been attached in connection with the disproportionate assets case against the alleged associates of former Jharkhand Chief Minister Madhu Koda.
A man has been arrested for allegedly offering a suitable reward to a former minister to vote in favour of the newly formed government headed by Hemant Soren in Jharkhand.
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Raghubar Das was on Sunday sworn-in as the new chief minister of Jharkhand, becoming the first non-tribal leader to rule the state.
Where do the big guns stand as counting underway for the Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand elections?
Renowned names from India Inc and politics are chargesheeted by the CBI before a special court in a coal blocks allocation scam case.
About 65.46 per cent electorate on Tuesday exercised their franchise in the second of the five-phase polling for the 20 Maoist-hit assembly constituencies as the day passed off peacefully.
Former Jharkhand chief minister Madhu Koda, ex-Coal Secretary H C Gupta, former Jharkhand chief secretary Ashok Kumar Basu and six others were on Tuesday ordered to be put on trial by a special court on charges of corruption, criminal conspiracy and cheating in connection with a coal block allocation scam case.
Former Maharashtra Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and ex-Jharkhand CM Madhu Koda were on Monday asked by the Election Commission to appear before it on May 23 for allegedly giving incorrect accounts of their poll expenses.
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