Ramai Ram quits as East Champaran minister-in-charge

MUZAFFARPUR: Senior Bihar Cabinet member Ramai Ram today resigned as the minister in-charge for East Champaran district saying he was feeling "insulted" over the appointment by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar of another minister to the post without consulting him.

Ram, who is the Minister for Transport and SC&ST Welfare, has quit only as the minister in-charge for East Champaran district where he was responsible for the implementation of the 20-point programme.

He told reporters here he was feeling "insulted" that another minister was named as in-charge of East Champaran since he believes he was discharging his responsibility efficiently.

"Had I not been competent then you could have removed me and appointed somebody else as minister in-charge... I am feeling insulted over the appointment of another person without consulting me," said a peeved Ram, an eight-time MLA from Bochaha (SC seat) in Muzaffarpur.

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had on Tuesday announced the appointment of Vijay Chaudhary as minister in-charge of East Champaran.

The district shares the Raxual border with Nepal which is witnessing the maximum flow of citizens from the neighbouring country as it struggles with relief operations in the wake of the devastating earthquake of April 25.

Ram was with the chief minister when he had toured Raxual on Tuesday to supervise earthquake relief work there.

Earlier, the senior Dalit leader had on several occasions made public his anger against his own government.