Kartik Kumar is an MLC of Tejashwi Yadav's RLD
The Nitish Kumar government in Bihar has replaced its law minister, a leader from the alliance partner Rashtriya Janata Dal, over allegations that he is linked to a kidnapping case of 2014.
Kartik Kumar was made the Law Minister after Nitish Kumar formed the new Bihar government by ditching the BJP recently. But the move to give him this important portfolio drew criticism from the BJP over the alleged kidnapping case linked to him.
On Tuesday night, the Bihar government moved the controversial former law minister to the sugarcane department, whose minister Shamim Ahmed is now the new law minister.
Mr Kumar is an MLC of Tejashwi Yadav's RLD. He is said to have been chosen by the RLD for the law minister's post with an eye on Tejashwi Yadav's outreach towards the Bhumihars, an influential upper caste group largely supportive of the BJP.
The BJP had strongly criticised the Nitish Kumar government when Kartik Kumar was appointed the new law minister recently.
"Nitish Kumar is demonstrating that he can get people framed in cases and offer them protection if they become loyal to him. He had extended such a favour to (RJD president) Lalu Prasad and his son Tejashwi. He is now doing the same to Kartik," Bihar BJP chief Sanjay Jaiswal said.
State Congress spokesperson Asit Nath Tiwari hit back. "Why have a problem with cabinet reshuffle in Bihar? Nobody had a problem when Prime Minister Narendra Modi changed portfolios of Union ministers like Piyush Goyal and Smriti Irani," Mr Nath said.