‘Ignored’ Ajsu Party eyes one more cabinet berth

Ranchi: The Ajsu Party, the BJP’s ally, alleged that its legislators were “ignored” during the first cabinet expansion on Thursday and demanded that the party be given another ministerial berth.
Ajsu Party MLA from Lohardaga Kamal Kishore Bhagat, who was hopeful of getting a berth, skipped a party function in Tundi on Friday and held a meeting with drinking water and sanitation Chandra Prakash Chaudhary, the sole Ajsu Party MLA in the cabinet, at his residence.
“We were expecting one more cabinet berth. The matter will be taken up at appropriate forum at appropriate time. We are focused on development now,” Ajsu Party spokesperson Deo Sharan Bhagat told TOI.
The high command was silent though disappointment ran high in Ajsu Party, without whose support it was not possible for BJP to form the government on December 28. With 37 MLAs, BJP was four short of a majority mark in 81-member House.
BJP, however, no longer needs Ajsu Party’s support to remain in government because with JVM-P’s six legislators, the number of BJP MLAs has gone up to 43, two more than the magic number.
“We fought the election in alliance with BJP and won a simple majority. Before Raghubar Das was sworn in, BJP had assured us that we will get two berths. They have suddenly started ignoring us which is against the ethics of alliance,” said an Ajsu Party leader, unwilling to be identified.
Many BJP MLAs too are unhappy with the list of ministers and called the expansion “unfair”. First-time MLAs, like Neera Yadav, Amar Bauri and Randhir Singh got plum portfolios while senior leaders like Saryu Rai and Raj Paliwar, were given insignificant departments. “Few of the cabinet ministers did not deserve the posts,” said a BJP leader. Supporters of Bokaro MLA Biranchi Narayan, who was also expecting a berth, are also disappointed.
JVM-P has alleged horse-trading before the expansion. “The way cabinet has been expanded has vindicated our allegations that MLAs were offered money and cabinet berths for splitting JVM-P,” party principal general secretary Pradeep Yadav said on Friday.
Two of the six JVM-P defectors were rewarded with cabinet berths on Thursday’s cabinet expansion–Chandankayari MLA Amar Kumar Bauri got revenue and land reforms and art culture sports and youth affairs departments while Sarath MLA Randhir Kumar Singh got agriculture and sugarcane development and animal husbandry and fisheries departments.
Jharkhand Mukti Morcha spokesperson Supriyo Bhattacharya said: “The inclusion of JVM-P defectors has exposed the BJP which came to power in the name of development. This government can never take the state forward on the path of development.”
BJP Potka MLA Menka Sardar said the cabinet expansion has hurt the voters and party workers of Potka. “The CM had assured me a place in the cabinet. He should not have assured me, if he wished to exclude me,” Sardar said adding her name was removed from the list at the last moment. “I don’t know who removed my name, but it has saddened me,” Sardar, a three-time MLA, said.
The state cabinet has 11 members now, one post is still vacant.