Political circles here are abuzz with the possibility of two bête noire Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi inching closer - Courtesy lalu Prasad and the holy month of Ramazan.
Three days back the two bitter rivals sat side by side, exchanged pleasantries, laughed, broke bread and provided photo-op to the cameramen in an iftaar arranged by RJD supremo lalu Prasad. lalu hosted the iftaar party and lined up the chairs for the VVIPs, giving space to Manjhi next to the CM.
Both Nitish and Manjhi, after the iftaar said there was no need to read much in the photographs.
But three days later Manjhi, who was made and unmade Chief Minister in 2014 by Nitish, was heard singing paeans for his “mentor”. “What I am today is solely because of Nitish ji. Today I am holding a stature because Nitish ji made me CM. He is a great leader,” Manjhi said much to the pleasure of lalu and to the chagrin of BJP.
Giving a hint to his possible joining of the grand alliance of lalu, Nitish and Congress, Manjhi who had floated his own party Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) told mediapersons, “If lalu ji and Nitish ji can join hands after fighting a bitter political battle for nearly two decades, you cannot fully rule out my joining them sooner or later.”
Manjhi's change of heart was welcomed by lalu, but in his own inimitable style. Without reacting to Manjhi's remarks, the RJD boss attacked BJP for “ignoring” Manjhi. He said, “Manjhi deserves to be a Union Minister, replacing (Ram Vilas) Paswan. Paswan has become old and needs rest.”
lalu's statement was enough to create ripples in the NDA, particularly lok Janashakti Party (lJP) of Paswan. In no time both Paswan and his son Chirag came out with statements charging lalu of attempting to create division in the NDA. “He does not know our unity is solid and lalu cannot break it,” reacted Paswan.
Manjhi was at a loss of words on lalu's remarks about him. He said when asked to react, “I don't know in which context lalu ji said that I should have been made a Unin Minister.” But he must have been taking a sadistic pleasure because of his known antipathy towards Paswan, which came to fore during the Assembly election. The two dalit leaders had been trying to grab more seats to field their candidates. But the result showed both proved failure and one each of their candidates won.
Manjhi's possible change of heart is not entirely unexpected. A few months back HAM State president Brishen Patel too had indicated that the party could leave NDA. Many of the leaders of HAM were feeling uneasy remaining out of power for over a year.
But there seems to be difference in the JD(U) over Manjhi. “Why Manjhi can't rejoin us,” asked former Minister and JD(U) general secretary Shyam Rajak, But at the same time party's spokesman Sanjay Singh warned, “JD(U) cannot forgive Manjhi for what he did to the party and Nitish.”
The exchange of unpleasant words between Nitish and Manjhi, who was CM for about nine months after Nitish decided to step down following defeat of his party in 2014 lok Sabha polls, is known to everybody. Nitish had time and again admitted that making Manjhi CM was blunder of his life and would not repeat it ever. Manjhi during his last three months in office would utter against Nitish as a routine matter.
The former CM however, wants to forget the recent past. “Politics is a game of possibilities,” said Manjhi, a former Congressman, who served as Minister under both lalu and Nitish. It's rightly said nothing is impossible in politics.