Bihar Cabinet Expansion: Mahagathbandhan's Junior Ally Congress Demands 'Respectable' Participation

In terms of numbers, the Congress with 19 MLAs is the third largest party in the Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan after RJD and Janata Dal United of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Nitish Kumar and Tejashwi Yadav at a press conference

Source : ANI

After breaking ties with Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and joining hands with the "Mahagathbandhan" to form a new government in Bihar, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is confronted with the issue of cabinet expansion. According to ABP News, the congress has demanded "respectable" representation in the state cabinet depending on their numbers in the coalition, while Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader and Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has kept silent on the issue so far.

According to ABP News sources, the Congress party has been demanding 4 ministerial berths in the cabinet. Chhatrapati Yadav, a congress MLA from Khagaria, has written a letter to Sonia Gandhi seeking to become a minister on the grounds that he is the only Yadav MLA in the party.

In terms of numbers, the Congress with 19 MLAs is the third largest party in the Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan after RJD and Janata Dal United of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Yadav has largely remained quiet on the issue, leaving it to Nitish Kumar to take a decision on the portfolio distribution, reported ABP.

Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday hit out at the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led BJP government at the Centre, saying he was ready to give his residence in Patna to set up offices of the Enforcement Directorate (ED) and the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). 

"We want the people of ED, CBI, Income Tax to open the offices inside my house. Still, if they would not get peace then what can I do? We have no objection with whatever they want to investigate against us," said Tejashwi as reported by IANS.

"BJP has only one modus operandi to create fear through CBI, ED, Income Tax and if any leader is scared of. If anyone is ready for horse-trading, fix the rate and buy it," Tejashwi added.

Opposition parties have levelled allegations against the central government of misusing ED and CBI for political gains.