How is Nitish’s kitchen cabinet?
All is not going well in Nitish Kumar’s party these days. After Minister Vijendra Yadav, now Ashok Chaudhary’s displeasure has come to the fore. Chaudhary targeted Nitish Kumar. Interestingly, both Ashok Chaudhary and Vijendra Yadav are considered to be members of Nitish Kumar’s kitchen cabinet.
In such a situation, the question is being raised in political circles as to what is the reason why the members of Nitish’s kitchen cabinet are upset with the party. That too when the assembly elections in Bihar are just one year away.
Who is in Nitish’s kitchen cabinet?
In the 1970s, the term kitchen cabinet came into discussion in the political circles of India. At that time the term was used for leaders close to Indira Gandhi. A kitchen cabinet is a small team that makes decisions.
According to JDU sources, currently 5 leaders are included in Nitish Kumar’s kitchen cabinet.
1. Lalan Singh- Former JDU president Lalan Singh is a key member of Nitish’s kitchen cabinet. Singh is also a minister at the center from the JDU quota. Lalan Singh is considered to be a leader close to Nitish Kumar. Both students are with each other only because of politics.
Lalan Singh is also called Nitish Kumar’s troubleshooter. Whenever JDU is in trouble, Nitish leads Lalan. Currently, Lalan is considered as the second leader within the JDU.
2. Sanjay Kumar Jha- Former Bihar government minister and JDU working president Sanjay Kumar Jha is also an important member of Nitish’s kitchen cabinet. Sanjay Jha came to JDU through BJP. Initially he was managing Nitish Kumar’s blog.
Nitish sent him back to the Legislative Council and made him a minister in his government. Sanjay Jha was responsible for JDU’s campaign in 2020 elections. Sanjay was often seen with Nitish Kumar when he was a minister.
3. Vijay Chaudhary- Vijay Chaudhary, who was the JDU president in Bihar, is also a member of Nitish’s kitchen cabinet. Chaudhary is currently a minister in the Bihar government. She is often seen with Nitish. Vijay Chaudhary, an MLA from Sarayaranjan, started his career from the Congress.
Vijay Chaudhary has served as a minister in all governments since 2015. During this period he has held major portfolios like Finance, Education and Water Resources.
4. Vijendra Yadav- Khanti Samajwadi leader Vijendra Yadav is also considered a member of Nitish’s kitchen cabinet. Vijendra has been associated with Nitish Kumar for a long time. He has been Minister of Energy and Planning in Bihar.
Vijendra Yadav from Supaul has been MLA for 8 times. It is said that Supaul has become a stronghold of JDU only because of Vijendra.
5. Ashok Chaudhary- After 2017, Ashok Chaudhary has also joined Nitish’s kitchen cabinet. Chaudhary is often seen with Nitish at public events. Chaudhary is currently also a minister in the Nitish government.
Before joining the JDU, Chaudhary was the president of the Bihar Congress. Chaudhary has inherited politics. His father Mahavir Chaudhary was a veteran Congress leader.
Why are kitchen cabinets cluttered?
Vijendra Yadav and then Ashok Chaudhary’s displeasure begs the question why there is a ruckus in Nitish Kumar’s kitchen cabinet? According to JDU-affiliated leaders, the cases of both are different. For example, Ashok Chaudhary has been on the sidelines since the Lok Sabha elections.
In fact, in the Lok Sabha elections, Chaudhary gave his daughter Shambavi a ticket from LJP (R) instead of JDU. It is said that since then he has become a nuisance in the eyes of the JDU high command.
Its effect was also seen in the distribution of districts among ministers. Ashok Chaudhary was in-charge of Jammu and Rohtas districts till the Lok Sabha elections, but now he has been made the minister-in-charge of Sitamarhi and Jehanabad. Jamui is considered to be the political stronghold of Ashok Chaudhary.
Not only this, Manish Verma, who recently quit his IAS job and joined politics, has also added to Chaudhary’s troubles. It is being said that Verma has entered Nitish’s kitchen cabinet as a new member.
Talking about Vijendra Yadav, Vijendra Yadav is said to be restless since the alliance with RJD broke up. Recently, he got angry after not seeing his picture in a poster put up at the JDU office.
It is said that Vijendra Yadav played a major role in bringing JDU and RJD together in 2022.
