Bihar CM recommends Governor to sack two ministers

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has sent a recommendation to Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi to sack two state cabinet ministers.

Lallan Singh and P. K. Shahi, the two ministers in question, are reportedly close to Nitish Kumar and also behind the removal of Manjhi from his chief ministerial post.

According to the reports, Janata Dal (United) chief Sharad Yadav is expected to ask Manjhi to step down from his post in a meeting to be held on Saturday. Senior JD (U) leaders want his predecessor Nitish Kumar to lead the party yet again in the run-up to the elections due in the state later this year.

Manjhi, who heads a minority government supported by Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), has off late been backed by Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan, who is also a minister in the BJP-led government at the Centre, yesterday said that Manjhi was never given freedom by his predecessor Nitish and the RJD chief to stamp his authority on the government.

"Manjhi was never given freedom by his predecessor Nitish Kumar and the RJD supremo Lalu Prasad to stamp his authority on the government and take decision on the development and law and order fronts as a result of which Bihar has been gripped with a 'constitutional crisis' due to rapid deterioration of the law and order situation," he said.

Manjhi, who has embarrassed his party on several occasions during his short tenure as the Chief Minister, earlier declared a meeting called tomorrow by party chief Sharad Yadav as 'illegal'. Manjhi, who has contended that only the Chief Minister can call the meeting of MLAs, has called one such meeting for February 20

Nitish, who had resigned as the Chief Minister owning responsibility for his party getting only two of Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha seats, had handpicked Manjhi to take his place.