Upendra Kushwaha, president of the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) and Minister of State for Human Resource Development (HRD), resigned from the Union Cabinet on Monday, according to reports.
Addressing a press conference, Kushwaha said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi couldn't meet the expectations of the people of Bihar. "Nothing was done for special status and Bihar is still where it was earlier," he was quoted as saying by ANI.
He also launched an attack at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, saying he has done injustice to the people on all fronts.
This comes just hours after he said he would not attend the meeting of National Democratic Alliance (NDA) allies scheduled for Monday.
Kushwaha, in his resignation letter to Modi, said he was "dejected" and "betrayed" by the Prime Minister's leadership, PTI quoted party sources as saying.
"It is unfortunate that the government's priority is not to work for the poor and oppressed, but to fix political opponents by hook or crook," Kushwaha said in the letter.
The RLSP chief also announced that he has quit the NDA. "I have left NDA, other options are open," he said.
Kushwaha has been targeting the BJP and Nitish Kumar, a key ally of the ruling party, for weeks. He has been upset with the BJP after it asserted that the RLSP would not be given more than two seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
The RLSP may join hands with the opposition, which includes Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and the Congress, according to PTI.
Bihar sends 40 MPs to Lok Sabha.
(With PTI inputs)