Chief Minister Nitish Kumar removed Industry Minister Shyam Rajak from the cabinet on Sunday night, while ruling Janata Dal (United) also expelled the party’s chief minister. The action came shortly after reports emerged that Rajak is set to join rival Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday.
Sources said the prime minister sent a recommendation to Governor Phagu Chauhan to remove the industry ministry from the state cabinet overnight and the recommendation has been accepted by Raj Bhawan.
“Rajak has been expelled from the party for being involved in anti-party activities,” said JD (U) State President Basistha Narayan Singh.
When HT contacted the fired minister for comment, Rajak said he was not aware of having been fired from the state or party cabinet.
“I am not aware of it. I have not received any formal notification or communication from the party, ”he said. However, he evaded any questions about joining the RJD. “I will not comment. I have never compromised my dignity and respect, ”he said.
Earlier in the day, there was a strong rumor in Patna that Rajak is ready to step down as minister and also as MLA on Monday and will likely return to RJD. Sources said that Rajak’s removal from the state cabinet and the expulsion of the JD (U) today was done more of a face-saving exercise by CM Kumar, knowing full well that Rajak could have won some political points by resigning from the position of minister.
Rajak has not been happy with the leadership of JD (U), development conscious people said, not having received much prominence as a minister.
Incidentally, Rajak had switched to JD (U) in 2009 after leaving RJD and had won since Phulwari’s seat as a candidate for JD (U) in the 2010 elections.
In another development, the RJD on Sunday expelled three sitting MLA members, including the son of former trade union minister MA Fatmi, for six years on charges of anti-party activities.
The three MLA expelled from the RJD are Faraz Fatmi, Maheshwar Prasad Yadav and Prema Choudhary.
“We have expelled the MLA from the party on charges of being involved in anti-party activities under the provisions of the party constitution. The decision was made by the head of RJD, Lalu Prasad, ”said Alok Mehta, RJD Secretary General of State.
Mehta, however, did not comment on reports that the three MLA members sitting in front of the ax would likely join the JD (U).
“The party made the decision based on its activities in recent times,” he said. Faraj Fatmi, an MLA from Keoti in Darbhana, is the son of former trade union minister MA Fatmi, who had switched to JD (U) before the 2019 parliamentary elections.
Faraj has spoken out against the RJD for some time, including as Maheshwar Yadav, Gaighat’s MLA in Muzaffarpur, has criticized RJD leaders, including opposition leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, on many occasions in the past.
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