Inder Singh Namdhari (left) has agreed to become Speaker once more provided Arjun Munda abides by his wishes

Ranchi, May 27: The ride back to the chair has a rider.

Senior Janata Dal (United) leader Inder Singh Namdhari will return as the Speaker of Jharkhand Assembly only if his wishes are fulfilled. Namdhari made his decision known formally today to chief minister Arjun Munda, his party and other partners of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the state.

He said he wanted to return with an assurance from the chief minister that the NDA would ensure better governance and better co-ordination among the ruling partners “that should be reflected in public”. Talking to The Telegraph at his residence this afternoon, Namdhari said his decision to return was “emotional” and was in the “larger interest” of the state and the Assembly. “The NDA has been routed in Jharkhand and at such a crucial time, a hand of friendship should not be spurned. According to Ramayana, passion, religion, wife and friends are tested only during times of crisis. If Arjun Munda and the BJP extended the hand of friendship in the hour of crisis, I must honour it,” he said.

Namdhari felt that the NDA should work in tandem with the partners and should not criticise each other in public. “The NDA unity should be reflected in true spirit with more co-operation between the allies. The common minimum programme should also be followed in the true spirit and even if there are individual differences in opinion, they should be sorted out across the table,” he said.

Sources close to Namdhari said when chief minister Arjun Munda appealed to him on Monday to return to the Speaker’s chair, Namdhari furnished a “list” of all that he wanted the NDA to do after the Lok Sabha election debacle in the state.

“I told him corruption was rampant in the government machinery which failed to keep a tab on the officials. The bureaucracy has veered out of control and it needs to be reined in immediately in the larger interest of the state,” he added. Namdhari said he also laid down guidelines from the “Chanakya Niti” for the chief minister to follow in heading the government. “When I say the bureaucracy should be reined in, it has dual implications. The government should follow the principles of Devdoot and Kaaldoot, while dealing with the bureaucracy. It should adopt the Devdoot theory for the honest, good and hardworking bureaucrats by rewarding them and it should become the Kaaldoot to take on the inefficient and corrupt officials,” he added.

Namdhari said he wanted the NDA to form the next government in Jharkhand with a handsome majority — a task, he claims, is within his reach if there is firm determination among the allies. Moreover, he wants the government to be more transparent than before and honest in its approach.

“I told the chief minister that his political career is at stake since he is the youngest chief minister. He has a long innings to play in politics. I have grown old. I told him to work in such a manner that he is hailed as one of the most successful chief ministers in the country,” Namdhari said.