JDU MLA Ratnesh Sada to take oath as minister replacing Santosh Suman in cabinet

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) MLA from Sonbarsa constituency Ratnesh Sada will be sworn in as a minister in Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet on Friday, a party official said.

According to a senior party official, the Bihar Cabinet is set for expansion on June 16 in which Sada, a Dalit leader, will take oath as the minister replacing Hindustani Awam Morcha- Secular (HAM-S) president Santosh Kumar Suman, who resigned on Tuesday.

Suman, who is the son of former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi, on Tuesday, quit the state cabinet claiming ‘to protect his party from extinction, amid a proposal to merge it with the JD-U’.

On Tuesday, Sada was called by CM Kumar at the latter’s residence to apprise him of the new responsibility after a meeting with deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav and JD-U president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh.

Sada was again called at the CM’s residence on Wednesday.

Also Read: Ex-CM Manjhi’s son Santosh Suman quits Bihar cabinet

“You have been invited by the governor to take oath of office and secrecy at the Durbar Hall of Raj Bhawan on June 16,” said a letter from the governor’s secretariat to Sada.

A three-time MLA, Sada won the 2020 assembly election from the Sonbarsa reserve seat, defeating Tarni Rishidev of the Congress. He is at present the whip of the JD-U. According to officials, Sada may get the SC/ST welfare portfolio, which was with Suman.

Talking to media persons, Sada hit out at former CM Manjhi for not doing anything for the community and confining everything to his family. “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.

The selection of Sada is significant, as this will offset the damage HAM allegedly tried to cause by trying to project Kumar as an anti-Dalit leader. The Bihar cabinet already has two Dalit ministers Ashok Choudhary (building construction) and Sunil Kumar (prohibition, excise and registration).

Parliamentary affairs minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary said the present expansion had been necessitated due to the sudden vacancy arising after Suman’s resignation. “This expansion is restricted to one vacancy. All the Grand Alliance (GA) constituents understand the emergent situation as Nitish Kumar is working for a larger cause. HAM’s exit will not make much of a difference. It was HAM’s call,” Choudhary said.

The cabinet expansion in Bihar has been due ever since two RJD ministers– Kartikey Kumar and Sudhakar Singh quit the party last year. The Congress has also been demanding two more berths. Bihar can have a maximum of 36 ministers and at present it has just 30, which will reach 31 with the induction of Sada.

“We have been hoping for cabinet expansion for quite some time. There should be more ministers in the cabinet expansion, as it could be the last opportunity before the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The Congress has been demanding more berths. RJD also has a few vacant berths. Bihar Congress president Akhilesh Singh is in Delhi and he will only be able to throw light on this. Earlier, he also had talks with the CM and the Deputy CM in this regard,” said a Congress leader.

Also Read: Manjhi’s son quits Nitish cabinet, ahead of crucial anti-BJP meet in Patna

The Grand Alliance has 164 MLAs in the 243-seat Bihar assembly. While Suman is a member of the legislative council, HAM has a total of four MLAs in the assembly.

RJD leader Shivanand Tiwari called Manjhi’s decision “immature”. “Perhaps, he underestimated Nitish Kumar and tried to blackmail hoping that the CM might not accept the resignation before the Opposition meet on June 23. But it was instantly accepted and his move backfired. This is what happens when one overestimates oneself,” he said.

Meanwhile, Manji on Wednesday said that a HAM executive meeting would be held to discuss the party’s future strategy. “We have no personal differences with anyone, but we cannot let our party suffer. To resign from the cabinet was a collective decision of the party,” he added.