Chief Minister Rabri Devi’s outburst against ministers from her own party Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) at a public function has got several ministers fuming. At the national convention of the party on Saturday she lambasted RJD ministers and even threatened to resign from her post.‘‘We have seen where you come from and where you reach in a few years’ time, the kind of vehicles you own,’’ she said, clearly making public her assessment of ministers as corrupt.‘‘You don’t interact with public and you make allegations we (she and Laloo) are running a family rule. I am willing to quit,’’ she said.It is the second time in a fortnight that Rabri publicly pulled up her ministers for being inaccessible and inefficient. Rabri has been furious with several ministers making snide remarks about her brothers Sadhu and Subhash, who remain in news for all wrong reasons. Saturday, it was her turn to tell everyone she, too, knew what the ministers were up to.However, Saturday’s remarks seem to have gone beyond the intended. Many senior ministers were taken aback and have made it clear to party president Laloo Yadav they did not take CM’s remarks lightly. Long time Laloo baiter Cabinet Minister Ramai Ram said he would talk to Laloo on Rabri’s remarks.‘‘I don’t agree with what she said about the ministers,’’ he said. Excise Minister Shiwanand Tiwari, too, is agitated though he doesn’t admit. ‘‘The CM has a right to assess her ministers and take corrective actions,’’ he said.Sensing that Rabri’s remark might ferment trouble in the party Laloo himself called several senior ministers and tried to placate them. Abdul Bahri Siddiqui, the newly elected state president of the party, downplayed the entire incident saying one should only notice the spirit of the CM’s statement, namely her desire to have the ministers perform better. ‘‘Don’t read too much into it,’’ he said.Meanwhile, Nandkishore Yadav, BJP state president said the CM’s statement is a public admission of the RJD government’s reality. ‘‘She should dismiss the ministers who she says are corrupt. If she doesn’t have the ability to do that she should resign,’’ Yadav said.
