Now, Nitish too demands a share in PM Modi’s ministry

Following the results of the Asembly elections in Haryana and Maharashtra and ciomparatively poor show by the BJP, the JDU on Wednesday demanded a share in the Union cabinet. After being re-elected the national president of JDU, chief minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar said JDU should be given proportional representation in the Modi government. He said JDU has given proportional representation to the BJP in the Bihar ministry and made BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi deputychief minister. In turn, K C Tygai, party's secretary general said.

On May 30, after the formation of the union cabinet of NDA II, JDU was offered one berth in the ministry, which Nitish had declined and had declared "Now the chapter is closed. There is no question of JDU joining the cabinet. We are in NDA. He had sent a terse message to the BJP leadership in May after denial of due share in the cabinet by saying, "If somebody thinks, it was the victory because of them, they are wrong. It is the victory of the people", and had declined participation in the union ministry.

Political observers here said the change in the stand of the party is because of the recent developments in Haryana and Maharashtra, where BJP had to compromise with the junior partner and entertain a regional party which was not a pre-poll partner.

Assembly elections in Bihar are due next year and with 16 members of JDU in Lok Sabha and 7 in Rajya Sabha from Bihar, Nitish wants to strengthen his base through the union ministers before the elections. BJP has 17 members in Lok Sabha from Bihar and have 7 ministers in the union cabinet.