Newly elected Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Wednesday sang the oft-repeated tune of his predecessor Nitish Kumar and asked Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi to grant special status to Bihar if he cared for poor and backward sections of the society. Manjhi, who was sworn-in as the new CM of the State, comes from the Mahadalit section.
“Modi has said that his Government would work for the poor. The Bihar Chief Minister now is a Mahadalit demanding special status for the State, so the time has come to see what he does for a poor State like Bihar and fulfils his promises,” said Manjhi.
Earlier, former Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had relentlessly been demanding special status for Bihar for a long time. He had also made this demand as an issue in the recently concluded lok Sabha polls in which his party got just two seats out of total 40. A day after he resumed office, Manjhi, however, reiterated demand for special status to Bihar.
“If Modi has a little sympathy for the poor, he must grant special category status to Bihar as now the State Chief Minister is a Mahadalit,” he said. Manjhi belongs to Musahar caste. He had entered into politics after quitting his job as clerk in telephone and postal department in 1980. Earlier, he was with the Congress and had won his first Assembly poll as Congress candidate.
To offer his obligatory gesture to then Chief Minister of Bihar Dr Jagannath Mishra, Manjhi on Wednesday visited his residence. “It was sahib (Dr Mishra) who had given me the ticket in 1980 to enter into politics. How could I forget that obligation given by him,” Manjhi told mediapersons.
However, when asked about Prime Minister-designate Narendra Modi, Manjhi said, “Ab dekhna hain Modi ka kaam…baatein karna or kaam karna alag hain,” Manjhi said while reminding that during his poll campaign Modi had promised to the people for Bihar’s development.Manjhi further emphatically said that Bihar would continue to fight for grant of special status. “We will fight till we get it. Bihar will put pressure on the new Government at the Centre for this,” he parroted what his predecessor Nitish has been saying for long.