Jitan Manjhi on way back to BJP? Meeting with Amit Shah adds fuel to fire

Ex-CM denies this, hails Opposition unity bid and Nitish as "PM material". But BJP known to have its eye on the HAMS leader who has been feeling constrained in the Mahagathbandhan

Former Bihar CM and Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAMS) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi (File)

3 min readPatnaApr 14, 2023 11:34 AM IST First published on: Apr 14, 2023 at 07:37 AM IST

Former Bihar CM and Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAMS) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi met Union Home Minister Amit Shah in Delhi on Thursday, fuelling speculation that he could quit the Nitish Kumar-led Mahagathbandhan (MGB) government in Bihar.

Manjhi, however, denied this, adding that he was “committed to stay with the MGB”, and terming Nitish Kumar “PM material”. He said: “I was leading a Bihar delegation to meet President of India and later the Union Home Minister, to press the demand for Bharat Ratna for ‘Mountain Man’ Dashrath Manjhi. I also asked the Centre to take precautionary steps and ensure the safety of people during firing practice at the Army firing range in Barachatti, Gaya, and to consider compensating the families of those who were recently killed in the incident of accidental firing. I also demanded recognition for Longi Manjhi, who had dug a 4 km-long canal in Gaya years ago.”

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Asked if he had met Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, who was also in Delhi for the ongoing national Opposition unity bid, Manjhi said: “I had sought time, but didn’t get any. Whatever he has been doing bodes well for the Opposition. People generally do not take vows in politics, but I have vowed to stay with Nitish Kumar. I believe he has potential to become the PM.”

Despite his explanations, MGB leaders in Bihar did not seem too convinced. At a recent public meeting in Purnea, the Bihar CM had claimed the BJP has been “eyeing” Jitan Ram Manjhi. Cautioning the Dalit leader against a possible BJP attempt to woo him, Nitish had said: “Dekh lijiye, aaj kal aap par unki nazar hai (Be careful, BJP has set their eyes on you these days).”\

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Sources close to Manjhi said the HAMS leader isn’t too comfortable within the seven-party MGB coalition. A BJP source added: “Manjhi has long been in touch with us. He is feeling suffocated in the MGB. It’s quite possible the BJP has some plans for the former CM.”

While Nitish Kumar often cites the seven-party Bihar alliance as a successful experiment, worth replicating nationally for the sake of Opposition unity, the BJP has been trying to revive its own alliance, the NDA. It has started “cultivating” small Bihar parties like the LJP (Ram Vilas), the VIP (Vikassheel Insaan Party) and the RLJD (Rashtriya Lok Janta Dal). If it succeeds to rope in Manjhi in the NDA, it can boast of getting two strong Dalit leaders in its fold.

Manjhi’s party, which has four MLAs, does not have a lot of elbow room within the MGB, which enjoys a majority of 164 MLAs in a House of 243 members. Though Manjhi’s son is an MLC and minister, the former CM has long been trying to get another MLC seat or some other respectable position for himself.

Santosh Singh

Santosh Singh is a Senior Assistant Editor with The Indian Express since June 2008. Exper... Read More