Friday, March 4 2005 09:55 Hrs (IST) - World Time -

Ranchi: In the back drop of Jharkhand Chief Minister Shibu Soren enlisting the lone Communist Party of India-Marxist-Leninist (CPI-ML-Liberation) MLA in his list of 42 MLAs, the Left party yesterday (Mar 3, 2005) set some conditions if the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) supremo needed its support.

"Steps should be initiated against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA Ravindra Rai and Superintendent of Police Deepak Verma in connection with the gunning down of former party leader Mahendra Prasad Singh," party's State unit president Subhendu Sen told a press conference in Ranchi.

CPI-ML-Liberation leader and MLA Mahendra Prasad Singh has been shot dead in January this year (2005) and his family as well as the party alleged involvement of the police super and Rai.

The CBI has since taken over the investigation.

Alleging that the police had unleashed a reign of terror during the previous NDA regime, Sen said, "Innocent persons had been in police firing incidents at places like Doranda and Tapkara... And innocent persons are still languishing in jails under POTA and that steps should be taken for their release."

All the Opposition parties during the previous Government had protested the alleged police atrocities, he said. "Our stand will depend on the new Government's stand vis-a-vis on police atrocities," he added.

On Monday (Feb 28, 2005), Sen had told the media that the Left party maintained equi-distance with both the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) "but if a non-NDA dispensation need only one vote to prove their majority in the floor of the house, the CPI-ML-Liberation would support to keep communal forces out of power".

Soren counts the CPI-ML-Liberation MLA Vinod Kumar, son of slain Mahendra Singh, as one of his supporters who could save his two-day old Government.