PATNA: Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief Mukesh Sahani will no longer remain in the council of ministers as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday recommended his removal from the minister’s post. Nitish’s recommendation was sent to the Governor Phagu Chauhan late in the evening.
Sources said the recommendation was sent by the chief minister under pressure from the top leaders of the BJP. “This is only formality. Sahani will be removed from the post of the minister for animal husbandry and fisheries resources department. The government will send his consent by Monday,” a source in the Bihar Raj Bhavan said.
Earlier in the day, deputy CM and senior BJP leader Tarkishore Prasad wrote a letter to the chief minister requesting the latter to drop Sahani from his cabinet. In his letter, he referred to the joining of all three MLAs of VIP to the BJP.
The three MLAs — Raju Singh, Swarna Singh and Misrilal Yadav — who were elected on the election symbol of the VIP in the assembly elections held in 2020, quit the party and joined the BJP on March 23.
They later met the Speaker of the state assembly Vijay Kumar Sinha and informed him about switching their sides and posing their faith in the leadership of the saffron party.