JD-U Legislature Party meeting on Feb 7, speculation on CM

A meeting of the Janata Dal-United Legislature Party has been called on February seven amid reports that Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi was under pressure to quit and make way for his predecessor Nitish Kumar.

The meeting was called by JD(U) President Sharad Yadav even as top party leaders were involved in hectic parleys.

Yadav twice met senior party leader and Nitish during the day and than spent an hour with Manjhi at his official residence.

"A meeting of JD(U) Legislature party has been called on February 7 on the direction of party President Sharad Yadav," Parliamentary Affairs minister Shrawan Kumar told PTI.

Asked about the agenda of the meeting, Shrawan Kumar, who is also Chief Whip of JD-U in Legislative Assembly, said it would discuss the latest political situation.

When media persons asked Nitish at the Legislative Council about the possibility of him taking over from Manjhi, he declined to give any response.

Yadav told reporters earlier in the day that removal of Manjhi was not on the agenda of his visit to Patna.

While top leaders did not speak anything concrete on the possibility of a change of CM, JD-U General Secretary K C Tyagi said Yadav was keeping a watch over the situation.

"Sharadji is keeping an eye over political developments in Bihar and will take an appropriate decision in the interest of the party," Tyagi told PTI in Patna.

While reports of pressure being exerted on Manjhi to make way for Nitish kept doing the rounds in corridors of power, the chief minister feigned ignorance.

"Media is saying so...has Nitish Kumar said anything on my resignation," Manjhi told reporters on the sidelines of a function.

In his speech at Sugaon village in Jehanabad district, Manjhi vented his anguish at the political situation in the state, saying "Vikas ka kaam teji se karna chahta hun par dub dub ke kaam karna par raha hain (I wish to do work of development with speed but is forced to go slowly and slowly)."

He further said that while Nitish did a lot for development of Bihar during his time he had kept a "distance" from  party workers during his tenure.

"But, I have kept my doors open for Legislators, leaders and party workers," Manjhi said.

Highly placed JD(U) sources said that SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, who has been authorised to oversee modalities for unification of old Janata Parivar parties, telephoned Nitish and reportedly asked him to take up chief ministership again to give strength to the unified party to fight the BJP in the next Assembly polls in the state due later this year.

RJD President Lalu Prasad has also indicated that any decision in JD-U on the CM  post would not hamper merger process.

According to RJD sources, Prasad's stand is that his party was extending support to a party (JD-U) in Bihar and not an individual.

Speculation on the possible removal of Manjhi has been doing the rounds since on Wednesday. JD(U) sources suggested that the change could come about after the Delhi polls on Saturday and before the start of the budget session of the state Assembly on February 20.

Manjhi, who had skipped the meeting of JD-U parliamentarians and those who had contested general elections, went to meet Yadav at a hotel last night where he is putting up and the two were closeted for half-an-hour, the sources said.

Manjhi had contested unsuccessfully from Gaya (SC) seat and was expected to be present in the JD-U meeting.

Amid the suspense in JD-U whether Manjhi would make way for Nitish, Congress gave a call to all secular parties to unite under the former chief minister for contesting Assembly polls.

"Nitish Kumar's image is good and he has set a track record for development during his tenure. It is high time that all secular forces unite under his leadership so that their votes do not get divided and benefit rival parties like BJP," Bihar Pradesh Congress Committee (BPCC) Chief Spokesperson H K Verma told PTI.

"Time is less and all the secular forces should talk among themselves and decide about Nitish Kumar leadership for the Assembly polls scheduled later this year," Verma added.

Congress is supporting JD(U) government in Bihar from outside and was part of secular alliance that won 6 out of 10 seats that went for bypolls last year merely three months after massive victory of NDA in the state last year.