A reported meeting between RJD chief Lalu Prasad and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi and a HAM (S) leader’s statement have triggered speculation that the party may part ways with the BJP. State HAM(S) president Brishen Patel said Wednesday, “There is a growing feeling in the party that we did not get Muslim votes because we were part of NDA. We can part ways with BJP if there is consensus within the party”. However, HAM(S) officially maintained that Patel’s statement does not reflect the party’s stand. [related-post] Sources told The Indian Express that Manjhi met Lalu on December 13. Though there is no official confirmation regarding the meeting, Manjhi seems to have started distancing himself from BJP since NDA’s Bihar poll debacle. Manjhi did not walk out of Assembly with BJP MLAs during CM Nitish Kumar’s concluding remarks on Governor’s speech in the just-concluded session. However, he said his party is still with BJP. “Some party workers feel that we did not get Muslim votes as per expectations because we went with BJP. Some people from Dalit groups have told us that the decision to go with BJP was not right. But it is not party’s stand. We are still with BJP,” he said. RJD national spokesperson Manoj Jha said: “Though I have no information about any meeting, only RJD president Lalu Prasad can decide over inclusion of any individual or party in the RJD fold.”
