Nitish Kumar accepts resignation of HAM Minister, taps another Dalit leader as replacement

Patna, June 13 (IANS) Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Tuesday accepted the resignation of SC/ST Welfare Minister Santosh Suman of the Hindustani Awam Morcha.

His office has also called JD-U Dalit MLA Ratnesh Sada to reach CM's residence for a meeting with Nitish Kumar.

Suman, the son of HAM chief and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, was not happy with the stand of Nitish Kumar to merge his party into the JD-U. He said that the proposal given to his party was not acceptable and hence, he has no option other than to resign from the post.

Suman also said that his party was not invited for the mega meeting of opposition parties slated to be held here on June 23 and it seems that the Mahagatbandhan leaders are not recognising that the HAM is a party.

Sources have said that HAM was trying to obtain at least 3 Lok Sabha seats and Manjhi was also looking for the invitation from Nitish Kumar for the mega meeting on June 3. As both the demands were not met, Suman gave the resignation from the post to Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary.

Chaudhary, along with JD-U national President Lalan Singh, then went to the CM's residence cum office and handed over Suman's resignation to Nitish Kumar.

Following the development, Sada was summoned.

Sources have said that Nitish Kumar is going to expand the cabinet soon and give him the SC/ST Welfare Ministry of him.

Sada, the MLA from Sonvarsa (reserved) seat reached Patna around 6 p.m. and went inside the CM residence.

"I get the call from Parliamentary Affairs cum Finance Minister Vijay Chaudhary and Vijendra Yadav, asking me to reach the CM's residence in Patna. I was in my constituency and as soon as I received the call, I reached here. I am thankful to Nitish Kumar that he called me. I am ready to accept whatever responsibility he would give to me," Sada said.

Sada was elected in the 2020 assembly election by defeating Congress candidate Tarani Rishidev by a margin of 13,466 votes. If Sada would get a chance, he would be the third Dalit minister in the Nitish cabinet from the JD-U quota, after Ashok Chaudhary and Sunil Kumar.

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