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Nitish Kumar defends annulment of Manjhi cabinet's decisions

Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday defended annulment of the erstwhile Jitan Ram Manjhi cabinet's decisions under miscellaneous heads prior to demitting office on February 20 and clarified it was done due to procedural lapse and not on the basis of the merit of those decisions.

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Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday defended annulment of the erstwhile Jitan Ram Manjhi cabinet's decisions under miscellaneous heads prior to demitting office on February 20 and clarified it was done due to procedural lapse and not on the basis of the merit of those decisions.

"There is a laid down procedure for bringing up a particular agenda for consideration of cabinet as per rules of executive business, but the same was not followed by the Manjhi cabinet in approving miscellaneous agendas in a hurried manner," he said, replying to debate on the Governor's address to the joint session of the state legislature.

A cabinet cannot take decisions on any agenda without substantive note prepared by the concerned departments, but the procedure was ignored by the erstwhile government leaving a question mark on propriety of such decisions, Kumar said.

Appearing visibly angry at Manjhi for approving 34 agendas at four cabinet meetings held between February 10 and 19 in a hurried manner without considering its financial implications or implementability, the Chief Minister questioned the motive of his predecessor in doing so, saying that if the former was serious about the same then he should have taken those decisions much earlier.

Related read: Nitish Kumar wins trust vote in Bihar Assembly; BJP stages walkout

"Why had he (Manjhi) rushed through those miscellaneous decisions (at the fag end of his term)? Who had stopped him (Manjhi) from taking decisions like one to give 13 months salaries to policemen in view of their difficult service conditions and implementing the same earlier?" Kumar asked and sought to chastise his predecessor for giving two hoots to rules and propriety in doing so.

Even the court has restrained him from taking policy decisions till February 21, but Manjhi sought to ignore judicial directive in taking slew of decisions under miscellaneous heads, Kumar said.

He also derided his predecessor for deciding to set up an expert committee to find out socio-economic condition of the poor among the upper caste and recommend job reservation for them and said this measure, subsequently annulled by new government, was not necessary as a commission was already at work to address the issue.

Apparently aware that annulment of Manjhi cabinet decisions may boomerang on him in the upcoming Assembly polls in Bihar, the Chief Minister said that he was favourably disposed to many of the annulled decisions like the one to give 13 months' salaries to policemen and even the top brass of police and home department was aware of it.

Observing that all was not lost as far as fate of many of the Manjhi cabinet decisions are concerned, he said the concerned departments are free to put up those agenda afresh for consideration of the incumbent government and the same will be considered with an open mind.

Related read: Jitan Ram Manjhi sits on a protest fast against annulment of his decisions

Slamming his predecessor further for taking decisions in unlawful and improper manner, Kumar said a government is free to take whatever decision it wants, but it cannot disregard rules and procedures.

The Chief Minister also appeared to be cut up with the BJP for propping up the Manjhi government during weeks of political turmoil in Bihar last month and claimed that the saffron party stood thoroughly exposed as its game plan failed as his predecessor resigned in apparently a tame manner ahead of the trust vote on February 20.

Kumar also questioned the BJP for meddling in the internal affairs of JD(U) by offering to back the erstwhile Manjhi government during the trust vote.

Back in saddle after nine months of resigning from the chief minister's post following JD(U)'s debacle in the general elections last year, the Chief Minister promised to restore law and order situation and take Bihar on the path of development on the agenda of justice to all.

"Ushering in good governance and rule and law has been my government's USP in the past and the principles will be followed to the hilt in future as well," Kumar said amid applause from the treasury benches and added he will aim to put Bihar on the path of development and good governance with the help of all political parties.

The opposition BJP members had staged a walkout from the House alleging there was no substance in the Chief Minister's speech. The House subsequently passed the motion on Governor's address by voice vote. 

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