Nitish cabinet divided over Sahni’s resignation threat

The Nitish Kumar cabinet in Bihar seemed divided on Saturday over the impending resignation of social welfare minister Madan Sahni, who had earlier threatened to quit while alleging high-handedness by bureaucracy and had accused officials close to the chief minister of corruption

The Nitish Kumar cabinet in Bihar seemed divided on Saturday over the impending resignation of social welfare minister Madan Sahni, who had earlier threatened to quit while alleging high-handedness by bureaucracy and had accused officials close to the chief minister of corruption.

HT Image

While several ministers backed Sahni and requested the chief minister to look into the allegations seriously, others advised the minister caution.

“The chief minister should take cognizance of what the minister is alleging and see why and where it is happening. In the past too, legislators have raised their voice against the officials’ attitude and demanded respect for public representatives,” said Neeraj Singh Bablu, the minister for environment, forest and climate change.

Bablu is from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP), a key constituent of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) headed by Nitish Kumar of the Janata Dal (United).

“Officialdom is there,” art and culture minister Alok Ranjan Jha, also from BJP, told a TV channel.

However, some other ministers did not find merit in Sahni’s allegations.

SC-ST welfare minister Santosh Kumar Manjhi, son of former CM JItan Ram Manjhi, said, “Bureaucrats and officers are all ears to ministers’ advice. I have experienced this. If Sahniji has any grievance, he should have directly approached the chief minister rather than making things public,” said the minister, who is from HAM-S, a party founded by his father.

The minister’s views are, however, at variance with his father who had said a few days ago, “There are at least 20 per cent officials who do not listen to ministers or MLAs. This tendency should be curbed.”

Tourism minister Jivesh Mishra, of the BJP, asked Sahni to work in harmony. “The department has to work in harmony. There is no such problem in our department,” he said.

Meanwhile, suspense over Sahni’s resignation continued on Saturday as he failed to get an audience with chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Sahni, however, reiterated he was firm on his resignation and would be meeting the chief minister in the evening to submit his resignation.

The minister, who had accused Atul Prasad, the additional chief secretary of his department, of arbitrariness in the recent transfers, had skipped the state cabinet meeting on Friday.

Both Sahni and CM Kumar are from the Janata Dal (United).

.