Congress unhappy as RJD indecision delays Bihar cabinet expansion

Congress expects at least 2 more berths, an issue also taken up by Rahul Gandhi with CM Nitish Kumar. But the RJD's failure to come up with two replacements for leaders who have resigned delays process

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi met with RJD chief Lalu Prasad in Delhi earlier in August. (Twitter/LaluYadav)

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The Congress, which is expecting two more berths in the Bihar Mahagathbandhan government, has voiced its displeasure with alliance partner RJD’s indecision over selecting its two nominees for the much-delayed Cabinet expansion. On the sidelines of the June 23 Opposition unity meeting, Rahul Gandhi had requested Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar to include two more faces from the Congress.

Two Cabinet berths are also due to the RJD, after the recent resignations of Sudhakar Singh and Kartik Kumar. While Singh resigned as Agriculture Minister following his tiff with the CM over his demand to change agriculture marketing policies, Kumar had to resign due to a pending court case. The Congress, which has two ministers in Nitish’s Cabinet, is demanding two more berths on account of its Assembly strength of 19 MLAs.

A Congress leader said: “After Rahul Gandhi’s recent meeting with RJD chief Lalu Prasad in Delhi, we were certain that the much-delayed Cabinet expansion in Bihar would happen. We are under-represented in the Cabinet. While we have sent three names from which to choose two, the RJD has not been able to suggest two names as replacements for Sudhakar Singh and Kartik Kumar.”

आज श्री राहुल गांधी जी ने मुलाकात कर देश के वर्तमान सामाजिक, राजनीतिक व आर्थिक हालातों पर गंभीर चर्चा की। #india #Bihar pic.twitter.com/T93iT7xQ2y

— Lalu Prasad Yadav (@laluprasadrjd) August 4, 2023

Congress and JD(U) sources said the CM had suggested OBC leader Bijendra Choudhary, upper-caste Rajput Anand Shanker and upper-caste Brahmin Vijay Shanker Dubey from the Congress to fill the expanded Cabinet.

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The Congress leader said the CM had also put the onus on the RJD to pave the way for the Cabinet expansion. “At a time when we are stitching together an Opposition alliance, the RJD should show a large heart and expedite the Cabinet expansion process,” the Congress leader added.

RJD sources said the party was taking time as it wanted to strike the right social balance. “It is possible that an OBC face might be considered besides an upper caste member. A couple of ministers could also be dropped. These are tricky decisions, which take time,” an RJD leader said.

At present, the Nitish-led government has 30 ministers, excluding the CM. Five more ministers can be accommodated.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. He covers Bihar with main focus on politics, society and governance. Investigative and explanatory stories are also his forte. Singh has 25 years of experience in print journalism covering Bihar, Delhi, Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka. ... Read More

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