IAS K P Ramaiah joins JD(U) to take on Speaker Meira Kumar

PATNA: Retired Bihar cadre IAS officer K P Ramaiah today joined JD(U) amid indication that he would take on Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar in Sasaram Lok Sabha seat.

Ramaiah, who was Principal Secretary of SC & ST department before taking VRS from service recently, took membership of Nitish Kumar's party in the presence of its state President Basistha Narayan Singh at the party headquarters here.

He was a 1986 batch IAS officer of Bihar cadre and earlier served as District Magistrate of Patna and Disivional commissioner of Patna and Tirhut.

Food minister Shyam Rajak was present on the occasion. Ramaiah, who hails from Andhra Pradesh, lauded welfare work done by Nitish Kumar for Dalits, extremely backward castes and minorities which he said inspired him to join JD(U).

He headed the famous "Mahadalit commission" created by Nitish Kumar for welfare of poorest among poor Dalit castes minus Paswan caste to which LJP President Ramvilas Paswan belonged.

The IAS turned Politician is expected to take on Meira Kumar, Lok Sabha Speaker and daughter of former Deputy Prime Minister Jagjivan Ram in Sasaram (Reserved) constituency of Bihar.