The situation has complicated as 97 MLAs have elected Nitish Kumar as the Leader of the House. To Manjhi's credit, he has succeeded in reinventing Dalit politics in his state, a significant achievement. His teaming up with the BJP will be a boost to party president Amit Shah to claim the state in the forthcoming assembly elections.
The BJP appears to have a last laugh in politically significant state of Bihar, with chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday finally breaking umbilical cord with his mentor and predecessor Nitish Kumar.
Manji, a Maha Dalit, a crucial caste link for Nitish Kumar's Janata Dal (United) is set to tie-up with the rival BJP to seek early polls in the state. A good news for the BJP, whose leaders were refluxing, following exit polls predicting a defeat in the recently conducted Delhi polls. Not only the JD (U), but the supporting party Lalu Prasad Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) is also wide split on the issue of removing Manjhi from the office.
Suspicions were abound that Manjhi, who met prime minister Narendra Modi on Sunday evening would engage in a massive defection against the JD(U) and get support from the BJP to maintain a government.
Addressing reporters, soon after his meeting, Manjhi handpicked for the position by Nitish Kumar, after their JD(U) performed poorly in the Lok Sabha elections, here was confident that despite the party disowning him, he will prove majority in assembly on February 20.
The situation has complicated as 97 MLAs have elected Nitish Kumar as the Leader of the House. To Manjhi's credit, he has succeeded in reinventing Dalit politics in his state, a significant achievement. His teaming up with the BJP will be a boost to party president Amit Shah to claim the state in the forthcoming assembly elections.
"I am very much the chief minister of Bihar, and will prolong it till JD(U) legislative party decides otherwise. Nitish Kumar is a good man but cannot remain without power, it is obvious now," Manjhi said. Rediculing both Nitish Kumar and JD (U) president Sharad Yadav, he said, they had this misunderstanding that they will make me do whatever they want. Praising Modi, and confirming he asked for help to sort out crises, he said the prime minister has done some good work for Bihar.
"On the floor of the house, I will take support from whoever is ready to support me. There is no problem in taking someone's support," he said.
Meanwhile, in Patna, Assembly Speaker Uday Narayan Chaudhary recognised Nitish Kumar as the new leader of JD(U) Legislature Party complicating the political situation further.
Nitish Kumar has support of 97 out of a total of 111 JD(U) MLAs and 37 out of 41 MLCs. RJD which has 24 MLAs, Congress 5, CPI and an Independent have also submitted letters of support in favour of Kumar to Raj Bhawan.
JD(U) spokesperson KC Tyagi here too pot-shots at the BJP accusing it of plotting a split in the party. Tyagi said, "The fact is BJP President Amit Shah is working overtime to engineer a split in our party, like he is doing with TMC. He has failed."
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