Patna, Jan. 3: Being deprived of a key department has spurred Bihar finance minister Abdul Bari Siddiqui to profess his preference for cricket should it come to making a choice between being an administrator of the sport or a politician, sources in the RJD said.

Siddiqui, who heads the Bihar Cricket Association, had made his preference clear almost three months ago that he would like to stick to cricket and give up his ministerial berth once the R.M. Lodha Committee report is implemented. He has now left it to the party to make the decision for him.

"I still hold the same view. But it is my political party (Rashtriya Janata Dal or RJD) which has made me what I am. So I leave it to them," Siddiqui told The Telegraph a day after the Supreme Court removed Indian cricket board (BCCI) president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke for failing to implement administrative reforms within the body.

Siddiqui welcomed the decision and said the apex court should also fix an age limit for contesting elections for politicians also.

RJD sources said Siddiqui's preference for cricket is understandable. He is finance minister without the commercial taxes department, which is headed by the JDU's Bijendra Prasad Yadav. "It's like getting married without a wife," quipped a RJD leader by way of stressing on the importance of the commercial taxes department.

As a result, it's Bijendra who represents Bihar in the GST meetings called by the Union finance ministry. Former deputy chief minister Sushil Kumar Modi headed both the finance and commercial taxes department during the NDA years. As a result he was hand-picked by then Union finance minister Pranab Mukherjee to head the empowered ministers' committee on VAT and GST - a post he held till the JDU-BJP alliance broke down in 2013. "Without having control over the commercial taxes department, which is the largest revenue earning department in Bihar, the finance minister's say in economic affairs of the state is greatly reduced and his role is limited to preparing the annual budget," a senior IAS official said, requesting anonymity.

Siddiqui, who has headed important portfolios in the Lalu Prasad-Rabri Devi regime like road construction, commercial taxes and cooperatives, has been the staunchest of Lalu's followers who stood by the RJD chief even when the political tides were at their lowest. He was leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly when the NDA was in power in the state. RJD leaders, in private discussions, agree that it is Siddiqui who deserved the post of deputy CM more than Tejashwi Yadav. "But the RJD chief's priorities have changed and he is now focused on the political future of his two sons. Siddiqui saheb feels marginalised politically," said an RJD leader.

However, quitting the ministry and heading the Bihar Cricket Association has its problems. First, Siddiqui will not only have to quit the ministry but also the posts he holds in the Bihar Badminton Association and the Indian Olympic Association. The biggest dilemma for Siddiqui is that he is 64 years old and the Lodha committee report restricts holding of posts beyond the age of 70. In politics, 64 is considered a young age. But quitting the ministry will be like quitting politics and uncertainty if he plans to make a comeback. For the RJD and even the Nitish Kumar ministry, Siddiqui happens to be the most credible Muslim face. "It is unlikely that Laluji will allow Siddiqui to quit politics," said another RJD leader.

The Lodha committee recommendations have opened the gates for Bihar to get full membership of the BCCI, which has been denied to it ever since the state was bifurcated in November 2000. It would mean Bihari cricketers playing Ranji matches and boosting their career and also inflow of funds for proper infrastructure to be built. Siddiqui faces the dilemma: if he wants to oversee this change or continue in politics.