'We won't ditch Nitish Kumar'

'There will be no khel on February 12 during the confidence motion vote.'

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar will need to prove his majority in the state assembly on Monday, February 12, 2024.

This demonstration of legislative strength became necessary after Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal-United party pulled out of the Mahagathbandan government on January 28, 2024 and renewed its alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party.

One of the constituents of the National Democratic Alliance in Bihar is former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha. Manjhi has demanded a second ministerial berth for his party and speculation is rife in Patna that his party may flip sides during the trust vote if its demand is not conceded.

"There is no possibility of the HAM joining hands with the Mahagathbandhan," HAM MLA Anil Kumar tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor M I Khan.

Anil Kumar is a four time MLA from the Tekari assembly constituency in Gaya district.

Your party chief Jitan Ram Manjhi is not pleased with only one berth in the NDA government and has demanded another berth. Is it a bargaining tactic or is a surprise likely ahead of the trust vote?

Look, we are an old ally of the NDA and our leader Manjhiji has rightly placed a demand for two berths in the cabinet in place of one.

Our party has four MLAs and supports the NDA. If an independent MLA can get a ministerial berth, why not two berths for a party with four MLAs?

Manjhiji's demand for a second berth has nothing to do with changing sides.

Mr Manjhi also questions the choice of the scheduled caste welfare ministry for his son Santosh Kumar Suman and asks why he and his son are allocated the same ministry again and again.

What is wrong with it? Manjhiji has raised a simple fact.

Manjhiji's stand is clear -- is a Dalit leader not capable of handling other ministries?

Mr Manjhi has demanded a ministerial berth for you. His son's mother-in-law Jyoti Devi, an HAM MLA, has also demanded a place in the cabinet.

I thanked Manjhiji for promoting my name for the second berth if the party gets it.

I am a senior party leader with a clean image, there is no allegation against me.

I hail from the Magadh region and am a Bhumihar, a community which has a sizeable presence in the region.

My samaj (Brahmarshi) also wants to see me as a minister.

I was a minister from 2005 to 2010 when the first NDA government was formed in Bihar. After that no leader from our samaj became a minister from the region. Earlier, Rameshwar Prasad Singh used to be a minister from the region.

Do you think the NDA will fulfill your party's demand?

Manjhiji's demand is genuine and the NDA should consider it.

We have full faith in the leadership of Manjhiji and Nitish Kumarji.

Mr Manjhi has revealed that he was offered the chief minister's post if the HAM supported the Mahagathbandhan and dumps the NDA.

There is no possibility of the HAM joining hands with the Mahagathbandhan.

We are solidly standing behind the NDA led by Nitish Kumar in Bihar.

The NDA government is running smoothly and will continue in the state.

There will be no khel (game) on February 12 during the confidence motion vote.

Do you mean that Mr Manjhi will be with the NDA when the NDA seeks a trust vote in the state assembly?

We are confident that Nitish Kumar's government will win the trust vote.

We are not in favour of taking any stand that results in the collapse of the NDA government.

If we wanted to change sides, we were made an offer by the Mahagathbandhan in 2020 soon after the Bihar assembly polls.

The Mahagathbandhan was short of only four MLAs and that number we have. But the HAM then decided not to go with the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan.

We will not leave the NDA. Where will we go?

Feature Presentation: Rajesh Alva/Rediff.com