PATNA: A day ahead of Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s visit to Lakhisarai in Munger district, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi called on state governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar at Raj Bhawan, separately on Wednesday.
Nitish visited Raj Bhawan first and also inspected the ongoing renovation work of ‘Rajendra Mandapam’ inside the Raj Bhawan premises. He also directed the authorities to accelerate the pace of work and complete it on time. The Rajendra Mandapam hosts swearing-in ceremonies.
Nitish is expected to expand his cabinet before July 10 when the monsoon session of the state assembly begins. The swearing-in of new ministers will be held at Raj Bhawan and so it is necessary that repair work should be completed before July 10, sources said. Soon after Nitish left Raj Bhawan, former Bihar deputy chief minister and BJP MP Modi reached Raj Bhawan and met the governor.
Although it is not known what transpired at the meeting between the governor and Modi, the BJP leader said that it was only a coincidence that he met the governor soon after Nitish. “No political meaning should be attached to it”, he added. Modi said that it was merely a courtesy visit as both he and the governor were members of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad.
He said he met the governor to congratulate him for running state universities’ affairs in a better manner. Both leaders held meetings with the governor for around 30 minutes each. Modi expressed his displeasure over the change in the domicile policy of the state government to make candidates from outside the state eligible for their appointment as teachers in government schools.
The speculation over yet another political realignment rose as it was initially rumoured that both Nitish and Modi were together at Raj Bhawan, which turned out to be false later. In Bihar, cabinet expansion is long overdue as two ministers from RJD, Kartikeya Kumar and Sudhakar Singh resigned from their posts. The Congress has also been insisting on more ministerial berths.