New Delhi: In a setback to Nitish Kumar ahead of latter’s drive to unite the Opposition, minister Santosh Kumar Suman on Tuesday resigned from the Bihar cabinet.
Santosh Kumar Suman is the son of Jitan Ram Manjhi, founder of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM). He was serving as Minority Affairs minister in Nitish Kumar cabinet.
The exit of Jitan Ram Manjhi’s son from Bihar cabinet is seen as setback for Mahagathbandhan’s endeavor to launch a strong front against BJP govt at centre, in the run-up to 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
The litany of accusations by Manjhi’s son has raised speculations of ongoing rift within the Mahagathbandhan. He accused the Bihar CM of pressurizing his father to merge HAM with the JD(U).
“We were being forced to merge with the JD (U),” he claimed.
हिंदुस्तानी आवाम मोर्चा (सेक्युलर) प्रमुख जीतन राम मांझी के बेटे डॉ. संतोष कुमार सुमन ने बिहार में महागठबंधन सरकार के मंत्री पद से इस्तीफा दे दिया।
(फाइल फोटो) pic.twitter.com/YYw9s0pOPi
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) June 13, 2023
The resignation of Santosh Suman comes days after his father & former Bihar CM on Friday demanded 5 Lok Sabha seats for HAM in the Parliamentary elections, slated for next year. Santosh, also the HAM president, pressed similar demands before the Mahagathbandhan last year.
Though, he didn’t speak on the reason behind quitting the Bihar cabinet, the apparent snub by the grand alliance prompted him to take this step.
HAM is a regional party of Bihar. It was founded by Manjhi in 2015 and has 4 legislators in the Bihar Legislative Assembly.
For the unversed, a grand meeting of Opposition parties is scheduled in Bihar on June 23 which may see coming together of big faces under one roof.
Also, Jitan Ram Manjhi’s recent meeting with Home Minister Amit Shah set the political circles buzzing with speculations & various theories doing the rounds.
