BJP’s ally Janata Dal (United) has raised a fresh issue by raising their voice against symbolic representation as against proportional representation in the Narendra Modi government.
During the formation of the new Modi ministry, the BJP has proposed one cabinet berth for the JD (U).
The proposal was given to JD(U) chief and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar who came to take part in the oath taking ceremony of Prime Minister Narendra Modi on May 30. Senior leaders of JD(U) considered this proposal and rejected it.
In Bihar, the JD (U) shares power with the BJP. The JD (U) has won 16 Lok Sabha members in Bihar and it has six members in the Rajya Sabha. However, Kumar later claimed that there was no talk about the number of ministers with the BJP but his party was in favour of proportional representation and did not accept the formula under which one cabinet berth had been given to JD (U) with 16 members while even LJP with six members was accommodated with one cabinet berth.
There was speculation in media that JD (U) wanted at least two cabinet ministers. Soon after his return to Patna, chief minister Kumar expanded the Bihar council of ministers with eight new ministers but none among them was from the BJP.
During the first and second term of the Modi government, the constituent parties of the NDA were given one ministerial post each. This time, two members of the Shiromani Akali Dal have been elected, one of them has been made cabinet minister. Though Shiv Sena has 18 MPs, it still got only one cabinet minister.
The Rashtriya Janata Dal and Left parties have been decimated in the Lok Sabha elections, while Congress has managed to win only one seat out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar.
The meeting of the national executive of the JD (U) is being held in Patna on June 9, which is considered to be very important. (UNI)
