JOIN USJD(U) climbs down to join Modi 2.0, doesn't insist for more slots
Two years ago on May 30, RCP Singh was intimated by Prime Minister's Office to take oath as Cabinet Minister but at the last minute, Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar said "no" as he was unhappy that the party was getting just one slot in the cabinet.
This time too, Kumar wanted more slots but Prime Minister Narendra Modi but did a climb down as the BJP managed to tone down his demands.
Kumar did not insist that his party need more slots in the Council of Ministers as he allowed Singh to enter Modi's team on Wednesday.
Kumar's bargaining power has considerably diminished now compared to 2019 as his party was upstaged by its coalition partner by garnering more seats in the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections.
This time, there was a view in the party that it should not insist on the numbers and remain out of power at the Centre.
Earlier, JD(U)'s position was that BJP has five ministers from Bihar while it has 17 MPs and Kumar's party should have 3-4 ministers from the state.
On May 30, 2019, when Modi was sworn in for the second time, the JD(U) had dramatically announced that it refused to be part of the government complaining about inadequate representation.
Kumar himself made the announcement just before the swearing-in ceremony was to start in Rashtrapati Bhavan. "The offer given by the BJP was not acceptable to us. We are firmly with NDA. But we will not join the government," Kumar had then told reporters.
The JD(U), which has 16 MPs from Bihar in the new Lok Sabha, was unhappy with the BJP and it felt that the numbers offered by BJP were untenable for it to be part of the Modi government then. BJP had five ministers from the state when it had 17 MPs.
While JD(U) had come out of its alliance with RJD and BJP in 2017 to join hands with BJP, it had not joined the NDA government at the Centre while running the state government with the saffron party.