Ranchi, March 13: Jharkhand’s summer of discontent has just begun.

As the Babulal Marandi-led state government reels in the aftermath of the rebel resignation blow, yet another minister-bureaucrat conflict brews in the chief minister’s backyard.

Agriculture department officials have alleged that their minister, Dev Dayal Kushwaha, is backing BJP legislator Lok Nath Mahto, who recently questioned the contractual appointment in the World Bank-sponsored Agricultural Technology Management Agency (Atma) in the House.

Sources said the minister came out in support of the MLA when his efforts to mount pressure on his department officials to revoke the appointments failed.

“Kushwaha first expressed his displeasure by writing to the department secretary M.K. Mandal asking him to clarify the selection procedure followed in the appointments. Mandal replied to the letter quoting various rules and names of experts involved in the selection process,” sources in the department said.

Kushwaha was reportedly “unhappy” with the selection process. “But he found it difficult to convince his department officials dealing with the selection process and so he took the help of his friend in the BJP and the matter was raised on the floor of the House,” sources added.

Officials alleged that Kushwaha raised the issue with the help of his party MLA to “tarnish the image of his own department officials, who refused to abide by his instructions.”

“Kushwaha conspired against his own department to teach the officials, who were not working according to his whims, a lesson. He took the step when he found that no action could be taken against the officers as far as legal measures were concerned ,” said an official.

According to sources, the secretary of the department has applied for long leave to “stay out of trouble”.

“Mandal has submitted a leave application because he is unhappy with the steps taken by the agriculture minister. He may proceed on leave from tomorrow,” sources said.

When contacted, Kushwaha refuted the charges. “How can I tell a MLA to raise a question which goes against my own department. A legislator has every right to question irregularities in the floor of the House,” he said.

Secretary M.K. Mandal refused to comment. “I am a senior IAS official. I would not like to say anything. Such differences of opinion do arise. Is it proper to make it public,” he said. Loknath Mahto was not available for comment.