Tussle for union cabinet berth between JDU and BJP in Bihar

After the formation of the Narendra Modi government in 2019, BJP has offered one cabinet berth to JDU but chief minister Nitish Kumar had rejected the offer terming it a symbolic representation. Nitish had stressed upon proportional representation of his party, writes ETV Bharat's Bihar Bureau Chief Amit Bhelari.

Patna: Amid speculations of expansion in the Union Cabinet, the tussle between JDU and BJP has intensified in Bihar. The air within the alliance seems to have become especially bumpy after JDU president RCP Singh's statement a few days back, demanding "due respect" for the allies in the union cabinet expansion.

However, Pashupati Kumar Paras's coup d'etat against LJP leader Chirag Paswan may have thrown a wrench in JDU's plans. The party may not get its desired share in the union cabinet as sources claim that the overnight coup by Paras was made possible only after he was promised a cabinet berth. The claims gained further support after Paras hinted at becoming a minister in the Centre while addressing the press on the day he was elected the LJP chief by four other rebel MPs in Patna. On being asked about acquiring two posts, Paras had stressed that once he becomes a minister in the union cabinet he will leave the post of chairman of the parliamentary board.

After the formation of the Narendra Modi government in 2019, BJP had offered one cabinet berth to JDU but chief minister Nitish Kumar had rejected the offer terming it a symbolic representation. Nitish had stressed upon proportional representation of his party. Two years down the line, a similar situation has arisen in front of JDU and BJP. The JDU has started pressure politics by issuing statements, calling for due respect for the allies. Sources in the JDU said that the party is demanding three cabinet berths and two berths of the state minister.

Requesting anonymity a senior JDU leader said, “BJP has 17 MPs in Bihar and JDU has 16 MPs based on this formula there are five ministers from Bihar in the union cabinet and all are from BJP. Why can't the JDU have five or four ministers in the union cabinet? We gave equal seats to BJP in the assembly poll, everywhere the numbers are equal in Bhar so why can't the JDU have proportional representation? It would be very unfortunate if BJP does not consider our plea for the second time as well. I must also say that LJP has played the role of spoilsport in the present scenario.”

The former LJP chief late Ram Vilas Paswan was also a minister in the union cabinet till his death and LJP has not got any representation so far. However, there is a strong buzz in Bihar that Paras may get a cabinet berth as Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla has already recognised Paras' faction as the real LJP on the floor of the house.

The names which are making rounds in the Bihar political circle from the JDU side include Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh, RCP Singh, Santosh Kumar and Ramnath Thakur. The BJP MPs who are already ministers in the union cabinet include Giriraj Singh, Nityanand Rai, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Ravi Shankar Prasad and R K Singh.

Asked about the tussle between JDU and BJP over cabinet berths, Patna based political expert Dr Sanjay Kumar said, “Last time also there was a tug-of-war between these two parties but ultimately, Narendra Modi did what he wanted to do. However, the scenario has changed this time as Akali Dal is no longer part of NDA and at the same time Shiv Sena is coming closer to BJP. Uttar Pradesh assembly poll is due next year and before that PM may send a message, by giving cabinet berth to JDU, that BJP has given respectable representation to its allies. I don't think JDU will get more than two cabinet berths in the union government.”

The scenario is surely changed in comparison to last year as recently Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thakeray met PM in New Delhi followed by party Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut calling PM as the top leader of the country. The arithmetic at the Centre may also change in the pretext of Prashant Kishor meeting NCP chief Sharad Pawar in Mumbai.

The pressure politics of JDU would have worked better if the five LJP MPs would have merged in JDU taking their number to 21. However, this tactic did not materialise and in all likelihood, LJP will remain an independent party. So going with this logic, the JDU will not get more than two cabinet berths.

“BJP must have got the sense about Nitish's plan to merge LJP in JDU and that's the reason they have agreed upon giving one union cabinet seat to Paras so that JDU pressure politics could not be executed. JDU has no option other than accepting whatever BJP will give. JDU would have bargained only if they had some solid numbers with them. The BJP led NDA government will not fall even though JDU pulls their support so Nitish has to accept whatever comes to his kitty," Dr Sanjay asserted.

Opposition parties mocked BJP and JDU on the issue of cabinet seat tussle. Congress spokesperson Kuntal Krishna said, “This is the battle for the share of fruits of power. JDU wants to grab the maximum share and BJP does not want to give, because it is about fruits and profit driven by power. JDU is asking for more and BJP will never give and ultimately BJP will prevail. This alliance is not based on any minimum programme and ideology.”

He further said, “It was an alliance based on coming into government, it was an alliance based on the idea to anyhow come into the power. It is an alliance without any bases and political understanding so now the thing has come into the open. It was an alliance to grab the power so everyone wants to grab the maximum share of power. BJP is doing what they have always done and JDU has fallen prey to that. JDU does not have any option and the party will have to succumb to BJP.”