Cabinet expansion soon, says Nitish

PATNA: The state cabinet, which has a vacancy of over a dozen ministers after the JD(U) snapped ties with BJP in mid-June this year, will soon be expanded, announced CM Nitish Kumar here on Monday. He said the expansion will come at the "right time and of course with fresh responsibilities", putting aside all apprehensions by opposition BJP that the expansion will create dissension in the party. 

Nitish said, "If you see the neighbouring states, you will find that many chief ministers are holding more portfolios than me. But I don't feel overburdened. For me work is religion (dharma) not burden and I have no other work than the work. Those who are bothered about my burden should take care of themselves." He further said he does not want comfort for him unless people of Bihar reach a comfortable situation. 

It was for the first time since 2006 that the crowd of ministers was thin and he was not escorted by a deputy CM while releasing the government's report card. But he did not miss any of his erstwhile colleagues, saying, "In politics such issues are neither felt nor discussed." 

The CM even refused to give credit to former BJP ministers for whatever his government has "achieved" so far in his second stint. "There was no question of giving credit or discredit to anyone. If they are not here, it is because of the reasons they are responsible for," he said. 

Trashing the allegations of worsening law and order and increasing incidents of terrorism in Bihar, the CM said, "Terrorism is a serious issue and should not be politicized. Why only blasts in Patna are talked about and why not the blasts in Ahmedabad in 2008 are being raised. There is no shortcut solution of terrorism." He further said the police succeeded in finding the major clues in Patna serial blasts with the arrest of an accused, and even Bodh Gaya blast case was solved. Quite a good investigation was done by the police much before the Patna blast case was handed over to the NIA, he said.

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