Rabri Devi announces jumbo cabinet

PATNA, MARCH 25: Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi on Saturday expanded her 15-day-old ministry inducting 80 ministers - 39 cabinet and 41 m...

PATNA, MARCH 25: Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi on Saturday expanded her 15-day-old ministry inducting 80 ministers – 39 cabinet and 41 ministers of state – making it the biggest ever cabinet in the State. Two ministers had been inducted earlier. The RJD had the largest share of 56 ministers.

The ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Governor V C Pande at a ceremony at Raj Bhavan. While 20 of the 22 Congress MLAs took the oath, four independents were rewarded with ministerial berths for supporting the Rabri Devi government, the second coalition ministry in Bihar since 1967.

ENDS Congress sources said, two designated ministers – Pradip Kumar Balmuchu and Abdul Jalil Mastan – did not take oath spurning the offer of the rank of minister of state, while an independent MLA Joba Manjhi could not be sworn in as she was out of the capital.

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Four senior cabinet ministers of the previous government – Mahavir Prasad, Ramchandra Rai, Suryadeo Rai and Muneshwar Chaudhary – were left out. RJD chief Laloo Prasad Yadav said that the omission was due to the need for accommodating the Congress.

Yadav told reporters after the ceremony that he would persuade BSP president Kanshi Ram who was arriving here on March 27 to ask his party legislators to join the ministry.

Rabri Devi who was sworn in as chief minister after the Nitish Kumar led minority NDA ministry bowed out of office without seeking a vote on the confidence motion, had earlier inducted Ramchandra Purve as Parliamentary Affairs Minister.

Talking to reporters after the oath-taking ceremony, rabri devi said she would further expand her cabinet once the five-member bsp decided to share power.

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Chief minister said she would allocate the portfolios to the new ministers within a couple of days after holding consultations with the congress.

Rjd president said his party wanted a stable coalition ministry and a coordination committee was being constituted to review the performance of the ministers every month. Ministers found to be non-performing would be dropped on the recommendations of the committee.

He said the new government was irrevocably committed to make bihar corruption-free and crime-free.

Yadav said there was no no problem over distribution of portfolios and ”we will decide tomorrow or the day after”.