Patna: Tensions flared among Bihar’s senior ministers after a cabinet meeting, as a dispute over the transfer of agricultural land intensified. The confrontation involved Deputy Chief Minister and Agriculture Minister Vijay Kumar Sinha and Rural Works Department Minister Ashok Chaudhary.
The disagreement reportedly arose over a proposed land transfer for the constituency of Jama Khan, a JDU minister seeking land to establish a college in Chainpur. Chaudhary urged Sinha to approve the transfer, but Sinha insisted that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had prohibited the relocation of agricultural farm land without first securing equivalent land elsewhere.
“The transfer can only happen when we receive land in exchange,” Sinha said, reaffirming the government’s policy. Chaudhary, however, pressed for the transfer to proceed in anticipation of acquiring replacement land, prompting a firm refusal from the Deputy Chief Minister.
The argument escalated into a personal exchange, with Chaudhary reportedly questioning whether Sinha would “remain Agriculture Minister forever,” to which Sinha responded sharply. The dispute was eventually defused by another senior minister present at the scene.
