PATNA: Santosh Kumar Suman, Scheduled Castes and Tribes Welfare Minister in the Bihar government, has resigned from his post, sparking speculations about the future of his party and the stability of the Grand Alliance in Bihar.
Santosh Suman, the son of former Chief Minister of Bihar, Jitan Ram Manjhi, and chief of the Hindustan Awam Morcha, cited the need to protect the existence of his party as the reason behind his resignation. Speaking to journalists, he expressed concerns about a proposal to merge his party with the Janata Dal United (JDU), which he declined. Suman reiterated his party’s allegiance to the ideology of the Grand Alliance and emphasized that as long as they are valued, they will remain aligned with the alliance.
#WATCH | "…the existence of my party was under threat, I did this to protect it..," says HAM leader Santosh Kumar Suman after resigning as a Bihar minister.
— ANI (@ANI) June 13, 2023
"When we were not even invited, when we were not even recognised as a party, how would we have been invited?" he says… https://t.co/m2C4yERYRa pic.twitter.com/T3nJx1LtTG
This move by Santosh Suman is believed to reflect the discontent of Jitan Ram Manjhi with the Nitish government. Earlier, on June 23, Manjhi was not invited to a Grand Alliance meeting held in Patna, further indicating a rift within the coalition. The political landscape of Bihar now speculates whether Manjhi may consider joining the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
However, JDU MLA and Bihar minister Lacey Singh downplayed the impact of Santosh Suman’s resignation on the government’s stability. Singh remarked to reporters that their leader had already bestowed the honor of being the Chief Minister, implying that the departure of such leaders is a regular occurrence in politics.
The resignation of Santosh Suman, a key figure in the Bihar government, has created a stir in the state’s political circles. The Grand Alliance, which had previously projected a united front, now faces the challenge of maintaining cohesion amidst internal disagreements. The potential shift of Jitan Ram Manjhi towards the NDA adds another layer of uncertainty to Bihar’s political landscape.
As political observers closely monitor the situation, it remains to be seen how the Grand Alliance responds to these recent developments and whether Santosh Suman’s resignation will have any lasting impact on the political dynamics of Bihar.
Source: Google News