Nitish rejected berths on offer?
New Delhi: A section of leaders from the JD(U) claimed that the party did not join the government as party president and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar was not happy with the berths offered to it. The NDA ally, which did not attend the swearing-in ceremony, indicated that it might be accommodated in a future Cabinet expansion.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi gave effect to the most hefty Cabinet reshuffle of his term, there were indications from recent ally, the Janata Dal (United), that they might be accommodated in the future as the current rejig was a “BJPonly” affair. Though speculation was rife till Friday that the JD(U) would be getting at least two ministerial berths, the party did not join the government at the Centre.
JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar had on Saturday said that there had been no communication from the Centre over the Cabinet reshuffle.
There were contradictory views emerging from the party of the reason for Mr Kumar not joining the government at the Centre.
While a section of the party leadership in Delhi maintained that the Bihar chief minister was not happy with the berths offered and negotiations had failed, another section said that Mr Kumar in his inimical style took a conscious decision not to join the Union Cabinet in order to keep at bay differences within his party over who should get a ministerial position at the Centre.
The party has been hit by severe internal strife following its exit from the ‘Mahagathbandhan’ with senior leader Sharad Yadav raising a banner of revolt against Mr Kumar and deciding not to side with the Modi-led BJP.
Officially the Party indicated that there were no differences with the BJP and the JD(U) might be accommodated in any future expansion in the run-up to the 2019 general election.
JD(U) National Secretary K C Tyagi said: “This was a reshuffle, amid the BJP and it is the Prime Minister’s prerogative to handle his Cabinet. It was the BJP’s internal reshuffle and not the NDA’s, so we would not like to comment on it”.
Interestingly, the JD(U) did not even attend the swearing-in ceremony.
Another NDA ally the Shiv Sena was also unhappy with the Union Cabinet reshuffle did not attend the oath-taking ceremony at Rashtrapati Bhawani. The Sena is reportedly dispirited over not been given even a single berth in the Cabinet expansion.