BJP takes dig at Manjhi’s statement, allies refute such pact
Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi’s recent statement that if alliance of JD(U), RJD and the Congress parties got majority in the upcoming State Assembly polls next year, Nitish Kumar would again be the Chief Minister, has sparked fresh political row in the State. While the Opposition BJP took a dig at the statement, the alliance partners have refuted any such agreement among them.
“There has been no such talk among the alliance parties... It will be decided later by the leaders of the parties when time comes”, said senior RJD leader Abdul Bari Siddiqui, while expressing annoyance over such statement given by the Chief Minister.
Similarly, State Congress leader, Prem Chandra Mishra too said that nothing has yet been decided on this issue by the leaders of the alliance parties. “Who will be the lead rot who will be the next Chief Minister of the State from the alliance parties is a matter to be decided later”, he said emphatically.
The BJP leaders, however, took a dig at the statement of the Bihar Chief Minister saying even before the alliance was formalised now scrambling among them has erupted.
“Bypoll ke pehle hi aapas mein ek dusre ke khilaf ladai suru ho gaya hai…dekhiye aage kya hota hai”, said BJP leader Shahnawaj Hussain. He also further said that both the alliance between JD(U) and RJD would not happen as both the leaders have been rejected by the people of the State.
“But, we’ll not give them for such an opportunity to mull over the next Chief Minister of the State as the BJP would decided who would don the mantle of Bihar after next State Assembly poll”, said Shahnawaj Hussain.
The former State BJP president Dr CP Thakur too said that the alliance between lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar would not survive as both have been attacking each other for long and even now shied away from facing each other. But, the JD(U) leaders have put thrust on Chief Minister Manjhi’s statement saying only Kumar would be the Chief Minister of the State after the next Assembly poll.
“Out leader is Nitish Kumar and only he will be the biggest face of the alliance in the next Assembly poll… He is the obvious choice for all of us for the post of next Chief Minister. Where is the confusionIJ” said JD(U) leader and spokesperson Sanjay Singh.
Similarly, another spokesperson Neeraj Kumar expressed similar sentiment and said that the popular sentiment of the party leaders has only been confirmed by the Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. “Only Nitish Kumar is our leader and he will be the next Chief Minister of the State”, he quipped.
The Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Thursday reiterated his statement saying only Nitish Kumar would be the State’s next Chief Minister. “It all depends on the wishes of Kumar whether he wants to remain in the State politics or goes for the Centre…we’ll support him whatever he wants to do”, said Manjhi in Patna.
Earlier, on Wednesday Manjhi had expressed his sentiment in Dhanbad saying Nitish Kumar should be the next Chief Minister of the State, if the alliance would come to power after next State Assembly poll next year.
Interestingly, both the leaders Kumar and lalu Prasad are yet to be decided whether they would share the common platform to campaign in the upcoming by-poll on ten seats scheduled to be held on August 21.
State presidents of all three parties JD(U), RJD and Congress would sit together and decide who would campaign when and where but about “Nitish Kumar and lalu Prasad sharing the common dais is yet to be confirmed”, said a RJD leader.
However, former JD(U) leader Shivanand Tiwari has said that Nitish Kumar though, wanted to forge an alliance with lalu Prasad but didn't want to come in public with the RJD leader.
"Gud khayenge lekin gulgule se perhej karte hain Nitish Kumar… If he wants to make an alliance with lalu Prasad he should boldly accepts it and come before people along with him", said Shivanand Tiwari.