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The Times of India
The Times of India
National
Manoj Chaurasia | TNN

Controversial Bihar minister Kartik Kumar eventually resigns

PATNA: In the dock over his alleged involvement in the kidnapping case, Bihar sugarcane minister Kartik Kumar eventually resigned late Wednesday evening hours after his portfolio had been changed by chief minister Nitish Kumar, finally ending the day full of suspense and high drama.

Kartik, a legislator from Lalu Prasad’s RJD, was initially inducted as the law minister on August 16 but had his portfolio changed as sugarcane minister earlier in the day on Wednesday apparently under heavy pressures from the BJP which had been constantly seeking for his ouster from the cabinet for facing serious criminal charges.

"Sugarcane minister Kartik Kumar has resigned from his post and the chief minister has accepted his resignation. He no longer remains a member of the state cabinet,” said a press statement issued from the CM House on Wednesday evening.

A CM House official said the minister for revenue and land reforms Alok Kumar Mehta has given the additional charge of the sugarcane department.

The development followed after the main opposition BJP mounted heavy attacks on the chief minister for failing to sack the erstwhile law minister and instead only changing his portfolio.

"Never in the past, I saw the chief minister so helpless and weak. Instead of ordering for his dismissal, only the minister's portfolio was changed. I feel pity on you,” was how BJP parliamentarian Sushil Kumar Modi had remarked after the chief minister changed his portfolio earlier in the day.

According to him, during the NDA regime, any minister found facing criminal charges were summarily removed from the cabinet and were reinstated only after they were acquitted by the court.

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