"Though I am considered to be a senior member of parliament (MP), the BJP leadership never took me into confidence on issues relating to Jharkhand.

It seems the party is acting at someone's behest," he told reporters a day after he declined to take oath as a Union minister of state. Significantly, the party has rushed its vice president Kailashpati Mishra to Patna on Wednesday to assess the leadership issue all over again in the light of the fresh development even as Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) leader Shibu Soren claimed in the state capital that he enjoyed the support of 41 of a total of 80 members of the legislative assembly (MLAs). Mr Soren has been repeatedly saying that he would prove his majority on the floor of the house.

The reading in certain BJP circles here is that Union minister of state for environment and forests Babu Lal Marandi was made to resign in haste to prepare himself for the post of Jharkhand's chief minister. They are credited with the view that Mr Munda is a very senior party leader (he is currently senior vice president of the party at the national level) and his claim should not have been ignored.

According to party insiders, Mr Marandi is the choice of home minister Lal Krishna Advani who, in turn, has gone by the advice of the Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangh (RSS). It is reliably learnt that senior party leader Govindacharya visited Ranchi for several days soon after the question of Jharkhand's chief ministership arose about a month ago.

Mr Govindacharya is believed to have strongly recommended Mr Marandi's name for the purpose as he would be the first tribal chief minister of the new state. The RSS merely acquiesced to Mr Govindacharya's views.