Bihar: RJD's Manoj Jha on Mins taking oath; 'All, even those not named, part of Cabinet'

After 31 Ministers were inducted into the Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday, RJD leader Manoj Jha hailed the newly-formed Mahagathbandhan government, assuring that every party leader will work with the cabinet, even if they are not a part of it, in the interest of the people.

Speaking on the freshly-inducted Cabinet, Jha said, "Every RJD leader will be in the Cabinet, whose name will not be there will also be part of the Cabinet. Every RJD worker will be part of the cabinet. The Cabinet will work for the benefit of the people. We will work in the interest of the people of Bihar."

"It's not just people who will join the cabinet. Every worker & MLA of RJD is a part of it. They may not join under their names but there will be everyone's participation," he added. 

Earlier in the day, new ministers were inducted into the CM Nitish Kumar-led Cabinet. All 31 state Ministers were administered the oath of office and secrecy by Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan at the Raj Bhavan. Janata Dal (United) leaders Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Bijendra Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leaders Tej Pratap Yadav, Alok Mehta, and Congress' Afaque Alam took oath in the first batch of Bihar cabinet expansion. Others included JD(U) MLAs Leshi Singh, Madan Sahni, and RJD's Lalit Kumar Yadav, Anita Devi, and Sudhakar Singh. The RJD has received 16 cabinet berths, while the JDU received 11. 

CM Nitish Kumar has retained the Home portfolio, and Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav will be in charge of Health, Road Construction, Urban Development & Housing, and Rural Works. His brother Tej Pratap has been allocated Environment, Forest, and Climate Change. 

Change of guard in Bihar

On August 10, Nitish Kumar took oath as the Chief Minister of Bihar for the eighth consecutive time. He was joined by Tejashwi Yadav who was sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of the state. Nitish Kumar took another U-turn on August 9 and joined hands with RJD, Congress, and the Left once again. He submitted his resignation to Bihar Governor Phagu Chauhan and staked claim to form a new government with the support of 164 MLAs.