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Eye on expansion, JD(U) pitches for berth in Union Cabinet
LJP, another ally of the NDA, has six MPs while Congress has one MP. There are five Union ministers from Bihar, all from the BJP. The former Lok Janshakti Party patriarch Ram Vilas Paswan was also a minister in the Union Cabinet till his death last year. The party has not got any representation in the Union Cabinet.
Amid speculations of expansion of the Union Cabinet, the ruling Janata Dal ( United) has pitched for ministerial berths in the council of ministers with the party reasoning that it should get preference for being a key ally of the NDA government in the state.
On Saturday, party’s national president R C P Singh said he was aware of chances of a possible expansion of the Union Cabinet and stressed that the JD(U) should be consulted in getting ministerial berths. “JD(U) is a partner in the NDA and the party should get preference in getting representation in cabinet expansion. Allies should get due respect in the coalition,” he said, while talking to reporters in Patna.
Right now, the JD(U) has no representation in the Union Cabinet though it had an offer to join soon after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had realigned with the BJP by breaking away from the grand alliance in July 2017. Out of 40 parliamentary seats in Bihar, JD(U) had won 16 seats while BJP had won 17 seats.
LJP, another ally of the NDA, has six MPs while Congress has one MP. There are five Union ministers from Bihar, all from the BJP. The former Lok Janshakti Party patriarch Ram Vilas Paswan was also a minister in the Union Cabinet till his death last year. The party has not got any representation in the Union Cabinet.
Insiders in the NDA said the JD (U) might insist on at least three cabinet berths and two berths of state minister rank with the BJP. Several contenders for ministerial berths include party’s national president, former minister and MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lallan Singh and party’s Rajya Sabha MP Ramnath Thakur.
However, a section of leaders in the JD(U) felt the decision of the party to join the Cabinet would depend much on whether the BJP led NDA government at the Centre chooses to give representation to the LJP or not. “If the LJP gets representation in the Union Cabinet, the JD(U) might not join the ministry. There are many factors at play, which would decide the party’s decision to join the Cabinet,” said a senior JD(U) leader, wishing not to be named.
The JD(U) top leadership is said to be still peeved at the LJP for apparently playing spoilsport in the October-November assembly polls when the regional party led by Chirag Paswan had chosen to contest over 100 seats alone following disagreement on seat adjustment with NDA partners.
