Chief minister Nitish Kumar on Sunday evening sacked industry minister Shyam Rajak from the cabinet while the ruling Janata Dal (United) also expelled the senior minister from the party. The action came soon after reports surfaced that Rajak is all set to join the rival Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) on Monday.

Sources said the chief minister sent a recommendation to Governor Phagu Chauhan to dismiss the industry ministry from the state cabinet in the evening and the same has been accepted by the Raj Bhawan.

“Rajak has been expelled from the party for being found involved in anti-party activities,” said JD(U) state president Basistha Narayan Singh.

When HT contacted the sacked minister for comments, Rajak said he was not aware about being sacked from the state cabinet or from the party.

“I am not aware of it. I have not received any formal notification or communication from the party,” he said. He, however, evaded any questions about joining the RJD. “I will not comment on it. I have never compromised on my dignity and respect,” he said.

Earlier in the day, there was a strong buzz in Patna that Rajak is all set to resign from the post of minister and also as MLA on Monday and likely to move back to the RJD. Sources said the dismissal of Rajak from the state cabinet and expulsion from the JD(U) today was done more as a face saving exercise by CM Kumar, knowing full well that Rajak could have earned some political points by resigning from ministership.

Rajak has been unhappy with the JD(U) leadership, said people aware of development, for not being given much prominence as a minister.

Incidentally, Rajak had switched to the JD(U) in 2009 after leaving the RJD and had won from the Phulwari seat as a JD(U) nominee in the 2010 election.

In another development, the RJD on Sunday expelled three sitting MLAs, including son of former union minister MA Fatmi, for six years on charges of anti-party activities.

The three MLAs expelled from the RJD are Faraz Fatmi , Maheshwar Prasad Yadav and Prema Choudhary.

“We have expelled the party MLAs on charges of being involved in anti party activities as per provisions of the party’s constitution. The decision was taken by RJD chief Lalu Prasad,” said Alok Mehta, RJD’s state general secretary.

Mehta, however, did not comment on reports that the three sitting MLAs facing the axe were all likely to join the JD(U).

“The party took the decision based on their activities in recent times,” he said. Faraj Fatmi, an MLA from Keoti in Darbhana, is son of former union minister M A Fatmi who had switched to the JD(U) before the 2019 parliamentary polls.

Faraj has been vocal against the RJD for sometime even as Maheshwar Yadav, MLA from Gaighat in Muzaffarpur, has slammed the RJD leadership, including leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, on many occasions in the past.