Resignation of Bihar Minister adds to Nitish Kumar's headache ahead of key opposition meeting

In a surprising turn of events, Santosh Suman, the Bihar Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe Social Affairs Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM-S) chief, announced his resignation from the state cabinet. 

Speculations are rife that HAM-S may join forces with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) ahead of the highly anticipated 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

Suman's decision to step down came just a day after his father and former Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi declared his refusal to attend a united opposition meeting convened by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on June 23 in Patna. Furthermore, Manjhi also proclaimed that HAM-S would not field candidates in the upcoming 2024 Lok Sabha polls. Earlier this year, Suman had met with Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi, fueling rumors about HAM-S aligning with the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Regarding speculation of joining the BJP alliance, Suman emphasized that no decision had been made yet. He clarified, "My father Jitan Ram Manjhi categorically stated that he will remain with Nitish Kumar, but it does not imply that we should merge our party and cease to exist. The proposal was that we had no choice. The future strategy will be devised in consultation with party leaders based on the new situation."

In response, BJP MLC Janak Ram criticized Nitish Kumar, claiming that Suman's resignation exposed the anti-Dalit stance of the Chief Minister. Ram said, "Any self-respecting leader would do the same. How can you link one side to the other? This is what Nitish Kumar is up to, and Manjhi has exposed it with his bold move."

Manjhi had previously confronted Nitish Kumar on various issues and openly criticized the government's policies, particularly the liquor ban, labeling it "anti-poor." He even advised Nitish Kumar to go "incognito" to witness the things that officials around him would prevent him from seeing.Social analyst NK Choudhary opined that Manjhi's actions were politically motivated given