As expected dissension surfaced in the ruling JD(U) within 24 hours of the Manjhi Cabinet expansion on Monday with several leaders raising banner of revolt and expressed serious displeasure over the way some of the party leaders were included in the Cabinet ‘at the cost of deserving and loyal ones’. The JD(U) State chief, though, has refuted that there was any rebellion in the party over the issue.
Nearly half a dozen party leaders on Tuesday held a separate meeting at the residence of party MlA Gyanendra Singh ‘Gyanu’ and mulled over their next strategy. Some of them even indicated that many more would come to them within two-three days.
As chairman of the party’s disciplinary committee Singh has reportedly written a letter to the party president Sharad Yadav and State chief Basistha Narayan Singh demanding expulsion of leaders like RCP Sinha, lallan Saraf and Sanjay Gandhi from the party. They all are said to be close confidants of Nitish Kumar.
Singh, a party MlA from Barh Assembly constituency is also known for his close proximity with the former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar since their Samata Party days.
Earlier on Monday, while venting his ire against another Nitish confidant Rajiv Ranjan Singh ‘lallan’ for being included in the Cabinet, Gyanu had said that those, “who had earlier worked against the party and humiliated Nitish now have not only been given place in the Cabinet but allotted some important portfolios.”
Those who attended meeting at his residence were party leaders Ajit Kumar, Neeraj Kumar ‘Babloo’ and others. Party leaders and MlA Shyam Bihari and Arun Manjhi along with party MlC Neeraj Kumar Singh too have expressed their displeasure over the way the loyal and deserving party leaders were ignored in the first Cabinet expansion of the Manjhi Government.
Altogether 14 new party leaders took oath on Monday as members of Manjhi Cabinet. They were also allotted their portfolios with change of some others in the Government like PK Shahi whose portfolio was shifted from HRD to Forest and Environment.
The dissident party leaders are said to be unhappy over their name not being included in the Cabinet expansion.
Earlier, party MlC Neeraj Kumar Singh had resigned from the post of party spokesperson while protesting the ‘undeserving leaders given berth in the Cabinet’. Another JD(U) legislator and former Minister Ajit Kumar even has threatened to resign from the Assembly for being ignored in Cabinet expansion.
“Those who were responsible for the humiliating defeat of party in the last lok Sabha polls have been awarded with place in the Cabinet, but those who remained loyal and deserving for long have been ignored,” rued the dissident leaders.
They also predicted that if things not corrected immediately, the party would again face a humiliating rout in the State Assembly polls next year. Earlier, on Monday before the Cabinet expansion, Nitish had held a meeting with all party contestants to know reasons for their defeat.
Many of the JD(U) candidates blamed local party leaders to work against them as the prime reason for the poll debacle. Soon after, one of the party leaders and Minister Gautam Singh was even asked to resign from his post.
Meanwhile, the State party chief has said that some of the party leaders have expressed their reservations after the Cabinet expansion but there was no revolt in the party as reported.
“It’s a natural process … it happens even in the family. Things will be sorted out soon. We will persuade all party legislators to work together for the 2015 State Assembly polls which is a big task and a challenge for us,” said Singh.
He also said that he has been in touch with Neeraj Kumar and once the dialogue will start with others, “everything would fall in line”, hoped the State party chief. But, those who have raised the banner of revolt in the party said that many more dissenters would surface in the next 24 hours.
“Wait for a day or two more people will come out over this issue. This is not the way a party functions. You cannot run a party on your whims and fancies, while ignoring those deserving and loyal for many years,” said a leader supposedly close to Nitish for a long time.
Nitish, meanwhile, has maintained studied silence over the brewing dissent in his party but has asked party trouble shooters to fix the problem before it gets out of proportion.