Ahead of the Opposition meet in Patna on June 23, former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s son Santosh Suman, on June 13, resigned from the Cabinet of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. Mr. Suman was looking after the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Welfare Department and his resignation is seen a big set back for Mr. Kumar.
Mr. Suman tendered his resignation soon after meeting senior Janata Dal (United) leader and Finance Minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary.
Asked about the reason for resignation from the Cabinet of Mr. Kumar at the crucial stage when the Opposition meet is scheduled, Mr. Suman said, “There was a lot of pressure and we were continuously asked to merge our party in JD(U) and this offer was not acceptable to our leadership. The existence of my party was under threat so Instead of merging, we thought of resigning from the Cabinet. We have struggled a lot form the party and there was no possibility of merging it.”
