Manjhi to continue as Bihar CM, says Nitish

Ending days of speculation, senior Janata Dal-United leader Nitish Kumar on Sunday said that Bihar’s Jitan Ram Manjhi would continue as chief minister. "All speculations about Manjhi’s removal were wrong," the former CM told the media soon after his return from New Delhi on Sunday.

Nitish said that he had visited Delhi to meet JD-U president Sharad Yadav, Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad and Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to discuss the merger of the ‘janata parivar’.  "I was in Delhi to discuss the merger plan. It was nothing to do with issue of Manjhi’s removal as reported in the media," he clarified.

Nitish expressed surprise over media reports surfacing on the chief minister's removal saying he did not know how the speculation gained currency. "I don't know why and how the media started speculating on this issue (Manjhi's ouster)," he said.

Speculation was rife for the past one week that the JD-U leadership might remove Manjhi from the CM's post in the wake of his controversial remarks.

Manjhi had made a series of contentious statements to that of his party in hailing the Patna high court judgment to restore membership of four rebel JD-U MLAs, disqualified by the Speaker two months ago, and went on to say he had never favoured coercive action against the four legislators.

The CM had also effected major reshuffle in the bureaucracy and shifted senior officials known to be close to Nitish Kumar, a move which had not gone down well with the ministers and party leaders.

But amid rumours four senior Bihar ministers -- Vijay Kumar Choudhary, Lalan

Singh, Ramai Ram and Brishen Patel repeatedly insisted that there was no move to remove Manjhi. They said it would be a suicidal step to oust the CM, as it would send wrong signal to the Mahadalits, considered a strong social support base of the JD-U.

Nitish also added that the process of merger of ‘janata parivar’ was in the final stage. "However, it will take some more time to take a concrete shape.”

Meanwhile, Lalu, Mulayam and Sharad Yadav are likely to attend a function in Patna organised by JD-U state president Basisht Narain Singh on January 14 to mark Makar Sankranti festival where there will be further discussion on the merger.

JD-U is in power in Bihar with RJD's support and they face a strong challenge from the Bharatiya Janata Party, which routed both these parties in the Lok Sabha elections. The JD-U and RJD had fought Lok Sabha polls separately and joined hands following the drubbing.

With inputs from PTI

Image: Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi