Politics

Nitish Kumar plays down speculation surrounding cabinet expansion

Nitish Kumar

Patna | Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday chose to play down speculations surrounding the expansion of his cabinet by saying it is in the offing some time next year.

At the state executive meeting of the JD(U) in September, Kumar had told party leaders that expansion of his cabinet was likely after Dussehra, which fell on October 19 last.

“I had said after Dussehra, which means before the one falling next year, Kumar said.

Kumar, who is also the national president of the Janata Dal (United), made the remark here in reply to queries from journalists on the sidelines of a function organized on the occasion of establishment day of the state disaster management authority.

Names of probable candidates that have been doing the rounds include JD(U) MLC and spokesman Neeraj Kumar and Ashok Choudhary, a former state Congress president and a powerful minister in the previous Grand Alliance government, who joined the Chief Ministers party earlier this year.

Initially, the name of Prashant Kishor, poll strategist-turned-politician, who joined the party at its state executive meet recently, was also being considered among the probables.

However, upon his elevation as national vice-president, it is being said that he is likely to remain engaged with the partys crucial backroom operations.

Speculations are also rife that BJP MLC Sanjay Paswan may be inducted from his partys quota.

A number of key departments in the state are at present without full-time ministers, most notable being social welfare which fell vacant upon the resignation of Manju Verma following the Muzaffarpur shelter home sex scandal and of which education minister Krishna Nandan Prasad Verma is at present holding the additional charge.

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BJP workers stage protests over threat to Manoj Tiwari, wave black flags at Arvind Kejriwal

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New Delhi | BJP leaders and workers staged protests across Delhi on Monday, demanding the arrest of an AAP MLA for allegedly threatening to party president Manoj Tiwari during the inauguration of Signature Bridge, and waved black flags at Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal in Nand Nagri.

Several protesters who were trying to march towards the chief minister’s residence were detained by the police near Chandgiram Akhara, said Delhi BJP leaders.

A section of Delhi BJP leaders and workers waved black flags at Kejriwal and raised slogans against him in Nand Nagri where he had gone to attend an official function.

“Hooliganism by the Aam Aadmi Party on the occasion of inauguration of Signature Bridge was seen by people of Delhi. The president of Delhi BJP, Manoj Tiwari, was attacked and abused by MLA Amanatullah Khan due to which all the party workers are agitated,” said BJP’s general secretary Rajesh Bhatia.

He said scores of party workers were detained by the police during a protest near kerjriwal’s residence and taken to the Delhi Police operation cell’s office in Maurice Nagar from where they were later released.

Another group of BJP leaders and protesters staged a gherao of Amanatullah Khan’s residence in Jamia Nagar under the leadership of senior party leader Rambeer Bidhuri.

“Amanatullah is an anarchist MLA of AAP. His threat to Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari and pushing him down warrant his arrest. We will stage daily protest at his house, if the police fail to arrest him soon,” Bidhuri said during the protest.

The BJP and the AAP engaged in a blame-game over the ruckus during the inauguration of Signature Bridge on Sunday. Both sides have lodged complaints with police charging the other with assault.

Tiwari, who has accused Khan of threatening to shoot him, lodged a complaint against the MLA with the northeast Delhi deputy commissioner of police through e-mail on Monday.

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