Jitan Ram Manjhi Bit the Hand That Fed Him, Says JD(U) Chief Sharad Yadav

Patna:

The national president Janata Dal United chief Sharad Yadav today came out all guns blazing against Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi for precipitating a crisis in the state and the party by getting himself empowered to recommend the dissolution of the Legislative Assembly.

Mr Manjhi's action came this afternoon, a few hours before the JD(U) meeting that endorsed his replacement with Nitish Kumar. As 20 ministers resigned to protest Mr Manjhi's proposal to dissolve the legislative assembly, a quorum of seven ministers passed it and it was forwarded to Governor KN Tripathi.

Mr Yadav hinted that Mr Manjhi taken the step by misleading the party. After two hours of discussion for a peaceful solution, "Manjhi said he would let us know after one hour. We were trying to save the party and maintain our unity, and this is what he did," news agency Press Trust of India quoted him as saying.

"Manjhi has bit the hand that fed him. He has wronged the party. Now the party will decide. It won't stop," a livid Mr Yadav told the media after the meeting of the JDU Legislature Party, reported PTI. Mr Manjhi had been handpicked for the top post by Mr Kumar when he stepped down after the party's debacle in the Lok Sabha polls last year.

Mr Yadav, however, did not specify what kind of disciplinary action the party was contemplating against Mr Manjhi.

Claiming support of 130 MLAs, the party has already written to the Governor, informing him that Mr Kumar was the leader of the party in the legislature and should be inducted as Chief Minister.

Mr Manjhi, meanwhile, went to Delhi, where he is to attend the Niti Ayog meeting, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi will seek chief ministers' feedback on the budget and Central projects.

But there are speculations that he might meet the BJP Central leaders. Lately, Mr Manjhi had signaled that if he was forced out of office, crossing over to the BJP was a viable option.