Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's close confidant Ashok Choudhary on Wednesday announced he has been chosen as an assistant professor by the State University Service Commission. Choudhary, 57, a national general secretary of the Janata Dal (United) and a senior minister in the state cabinet, had given an application five years ago. He has been picked up under the Scheduled Castes quota.
The JD(U) leader announced that he is not going to quit politics and will not accept any salary as assistant professor.
"My father, who had motivated me to come into politics, had also asked me to develop a solid base in politics. That's why before coming into politics, I had done my masters and done my PhD from the Magadh University," Choudhary informed the media over phone.
Interestingly, his deceased father Mahavir Choudhary was a minister when the Congress was in power in Bihar during the 1980s. His daughter Shambhavi is the current Lok Janshakti (Ram Vilas) MP from Samastipur.
Choudhary added, "I have maintained a flair for studies while being in politics. Several of my research papers have been published in renowned journals. A couple of years ago, Harvard invited me to present a paper on Scheduled Castes women in Free India, which I had also written as a doctoral thesis. So when the opportunity arose in 2020, I thought I'll take a shot. Yesterday I was informed that I'm one of the successful candidates."
Questioned regarding his future course of action, the minister for rural works explained that "there is no question of leaving politics which I have been in for over two decades. However, I am ready to offer my services as an assistant professor without drawing any salary. There have been numerous political leaders who have successfully dealt with their academic lives alongside. I would make every effort to do the same."
Meanwhile, the Congress took a jibe at Choudhary, who had been the party's state unit president till 2017. He joined the JD(U) the next year.
On its X handle, the Congress shared a news clip about Choudhary's selection with the remark: "The young are not getting jobs. But Ashok Choudhary becomes a professor at the age of 58 years thanks to the RSS quota".
The reference was to the recent furore regarding appointment of Choudhary's son-in-law Sayan Kunal as a member of the Bihar State Board of Religious Trusts. The minister, in denying his reported involvement in the appointment, had said that Kunal was an "RSS quota" appointee.
Follow us
