Days After Nitish Kumar Ally Quit As Minister, Party Colleague Joins Cabinet

Days after Bihar Minister Santosh Kumar Suman quit Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led cabinet, Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MLA Ratnesh Sada was sworn in as a cabinet member in Patna today. The lone legislator from the Musahar community, considered weakest among Dalits, Mr Sada could become a state minister replacing Mr Suman, who on June 13 resigned saying his party's existence was under threat due to pressure to merge with JD(U), and he needed to protect it.

A Janata Dal (United) MLA from Sonbarsa, Mr Sada has accused the father-son duo of HAM of having ditched Nitish Kumar because of their "insatiable greed and vaulting ambition".

Mr Sada has also accused Jitam Ram Manjhi of "paying lip service to Dalits, especially Musahars despite being a minister in several governments since 1980s and a brief tenure as the Chief Minister", news agency PTI had reported.

"I see Kabeer in Nitish Kumar. He has brought me, the son of a daily wage earner, to this level. I don't have words as I get overwhelmed with emotion. Jitan Ram Manjhi has been MLA since 1980, but he has nothing to show as significant work for the Dalits. He worked only for his family," he said.

Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) president Santosh Kumar Suman had clarified, though, that his party was not thinking about reaching out to the BJP-led NDA, and will stick with the ruling alliance.

"We are an independent party, we will think about protecting our existence. I am not thinking this right now, I still want to be a part of Mahagathbandhan," he had said when asked if he will join the NDA.

Mr Suman was the Minister for SC/ST Welfare Department in the state government. His party is an ally of ruling JD(U) and Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD).

He had alleged that his party wasn't invited to attend the big Opposition party meeting in Patna on June 23.

Speaking to the media after the swearing-in, Nitish Kumar alleged that Santosh Kumar Suman was in touch with BJP leaders, which is why he offered him to merge their parties or quit. He also said it wasn't advisable to invite him to the June 23 meeting, as several leaders were apprehensive of him leaking out details from the meeting to the BJP.