Bihar deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav on Thursday said the Congress, an ally in the grand alliance (GA) government, would get one more ministerial berth in the state Cabinet as it had been decided previously, even as chief minister Nitish Kumar acknowledged that a cabinet expansion would be done soon.
Yadav’s comment on the Cabinet expansion comes after he outrightly rejected the speculations on it earlier this month. His statement indicates that the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), being a senior ally in the GA, may recommend two or three names from the party for ministership. However, it is seen as a setback for the Congress, which has been making demands for two more ministerial berths.
“The Congress would get one more ministerial berth. This was decided and announced earlier,” Yadav said, while responding to queries on the Congress’ demand for two ministerial berths.
He was talking to newsmen in the state Capital, Patna after returning from New Delhi on Thursday afternoon.
Later in the day, chief minister Kumar, flanked by Yadav on the sidelines of a government event, said, “There are only a few vacancies in the state Cabinet . The vacancies were created as some had to leave the Cabinet. We will fill up the vacancies anytime after talks with allies.”
Earlier, Kumar had dropped hints that a Cabinet expansion would be done once Yadav decides for it. “ Ask the deputy CM,” Kumar had said when asked about the Cabinet expansion.
Congress state president Akhilesh Prasad Singh recently said the party had a natural claim for four ministerial berths based on the number of MLAs and MLCs in the state and asserted that he had spoken about the same with chief minister Kumar. Singh had also demanded formation of a coordination committee in the grand alliance.
Meanwhile, responding a query, the deputy CM said it was up to the three left parties supporting the government from outside to decide on whether they would join the government or not by having ministers in the state cabinet. “In the seven-party coalition, three parties have not joined the ministry. It is for them to decide whether to join the ministry or not,” he said.
The Bihar Cabinet at present has a total of 29 ministers of which the RJD has 14 ministers, Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) has 11 ministers , Congress two and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) or HAM (S) and Independents one each. When the GA government was formed in August last year, the RJD had 16 ministers of which two ministers, Sudhakar Singh and Kartikaya Singh resigned. There was a total of 31 ministers previously.
The permissible limit for ministers in the Ctate cabinet is 36 as per the strength of 243 MLAs in the state Assembly.
“The talks of a Cabinet expansion are almost in final stages. The expansion would take place after the Budget Session is over in the first week of April,” said a senior GA leader who did not wish to be named.
Reacting to the deputy CM’s statement that Congress would get only one more ministerial berth, Congress state media chief Rajesh Rathore said, “The decisions of cabinet berths and related matters are always taken at the level of state Congress president and the party’s high command.”
“All decisions would be taken by the state party chief and party’s central leadership,” he added.
The deputy CM said his father and ailing RJD chief Lalu Prasad, who has returned to Delhi after a kidney transplant in Singapore, was keeping well but taking all precautions. He said his meeting with Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal in the national Capital was a courtesy visit and both of them discussed about various political matters and current situation in the country.
