Bihar minister flays CM Jitan Ram Manjhi for comments on rebel MLAs

Bihar Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shrawan Kumar on Wednesday made light of Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's statement welcoming Patna High Court order restoring membership of four rebel JD(U) MLAs and said Majhi often took back his own words.

"Woh har do minute par baat badalte rahte hai. Unke baate par kya comment de (he changes his version every two minutes; what comment do I make on his statement), the minister told reporters in Patna.

"Soch samajh kar bayan de (offer comment after due understanding)," Kumar, a close confidante of Nitish Kumar, said. The chief minister had on Tuesday welcomed the decision and said he was not in favour of ending membership of rebels. When Manjhi's reaction was sought on the comments of Shrawan Kumar, the chief minister said he had not seen it.

The Speaker of Bihar Assembly Uday Narayan Chaudhary said "I have taken judgement of the Patna High Court with all seriousness and will initiate action for strengthening parliamentary democracy."

Another Cabinet Minister PK Shahi, who is also former Advocate General of the state, abstained from speaking anything on Manjhi saying "I am not competent to comment on CM's opinion." Minister Vijay Chaudhary said "it's a judicial process that members expelled by the Speaker went to Patna High Court and the court gave a ruling."

Another Minister Ramai Ram, who is a veteran dalit leader, said he welcomed the judgement of the High Court. Gyanendra Singh Gyanu, one among the four whose membership has been restored, said Manjhi spoke in their favour in JD(U) meetings and asserted that dissidents would rally around Manjhi against any move to remove him.