Patna: A day after Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Minister Cheddi Paswan resigned from the Rabri Devi Ministry, yet another senior RJD Minister Purnamasi Ram today (Mar 30, 2004) quit from the Cabinet after being denied party ticket to Bagha (reserved) Lok Sabha constituency.

Ram, who also resigned from the State Assembly and primary membership of the party, told reporters "come what may" he will contest from Bagha, which was allotted to the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) of Ramvilas Paswan as part of the seat-sharing agreement.

Ram, Minister of Food and Civil Supplies, sent one resignation letter to the Chief Minister intimating his decision to quit from the Cabinet and requested her to forward it to the Governor for acceptance.

He sent a separate letter to the RJD supremo Laloo Yadav about his decision to resign from State Assembly and primary membership of RJD.

In his interaction with reporters, he criticised Yadav for his autocratic style of functioning.

Calling Yadav a "big liar", Ram alleged, "Yadav assured me that I would be the RJD nominee for Bagha. I even started working for the constituency in the right earnest, but now the seat has been allotted to the LJP."

He said he would contest the elections from Bagha against the LJP contestant Hira Ram as a Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) nominee and was in touch with leadership of that party (BSP).

Peeved at denial of an RJD ticket to him, Ram's Cabinet colleague Cheddi Paswan yesterday resigned from the Rabri Devi Ministry and decided to work against the RJD-supported Congress nominee for Sasaram, Meira Kumar.

Both the rebel leaders are Dalits and are intrigued over the pact with the LJP.

Under the seat-sharing pact, RJD has decided to contest 26 Lok Sabha seats while allotting eight to the LJP, four to the Congress, one each to the Communist party of India-Marxist (CPM) and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP).