With only a handful of MlAs of the breakaway Janata Dal (United) and Independent legislators backing him, Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi faces a Herculean task to prove his majority in the 244-member Assembly on Friday. However, in a last-ditch attempt to woo JD(U) MlAs, Manjhi offered them ministerial berths.
The BJP on Thursday announced support to Manjhi during the floor test in the Assembly, but it is unlikely to save the Mahadalit leader’s crown. In fast-changing political development in Bihar, two RJD MlAs have offered their support to Manjhi. However, the RJD has issued a whip to all its 24 legislators to vote against the trust motion.
So far, Manjhi seemed to enjoy the backing of 13 JD(U) MlAs. With the BJP (87 MlAs) and three Independent MlAs backing Manjhi, the Chief Minister could hope to get 103 votes. Still he requires 14 more votes to prove his majority.
As the countdown for the trust motion began on Thursday, Manjhi received a double whammy as the Patna High Court debarred four rebel JD(U) MlAs — whose membership had been terminated by the Assembly Speaker and the case is pending before the HC — from voting during the trust motion, and the Assembly Speaker recognised JD(U) as main Opposition party in place of the BJP. A Division Bench of the High Court rejected the plea that Assembly Speaker Udai Narain Choudhary be debarred from presiding the proceeding of the House during the confidence motion to be moved
by Manjhi. Manjhi camp’s Minister Vinay Bihari had filed the petition. Manjhi camp was banking on the vote of the four rebel MlAs.
The JD(U) had petitioned the Speaker that it be recognised as the main Opposition party on the basis of its strength. The Nitish camp of JD(U) has 97 MlAs as against the party’s total strength of 111. The BJP has 87 MlAs.
The Speaker’s decision to grant the Opposition status to the JD(U) infuriated the BJP, whose MlAs protested on the Assembly premises raising slogans against the Speaker. They also clashed with the watch and ward staff of the House.
Former Minister Vijay Chaudhary is now the leader of Opposition in place of BJP’s Nand Kishore Yadav.
The JD(U) MlAs will sit on the Opposition benches with the members of the RJD and the Congress seated on their left. CM Manjhi, who has been expelled from JD(U) and declared an unattached member, will sit on the Treasury Bench along with his eight ministers, but half of them are MlCs who do not have voting right. “This will be a unique case in the country when the same party, JD(U), will sit on treasury and opposition benches at the same time,” said Nand Kishore Yadav, accusing the Speaker of making “unconstitutional” decision under the influence of Nitish Kumar.
Retorting to Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh’s allegation on Wednesday that he received threatening calls, State JD(U) president Bashistha Narain Singh on Thursday produced Sheohar MlA Sharfuddin at a press conference and played a CD which purportedly had the voice of RJD MP Rajesh Ranjan, aka Pappu Yadav, asking the MlA to support Manjhi and get a top position. Sharfuddin said Manjhi too spoke to him from the same phone and told him that he could get bigger than what Pappu Yadav assured him. Needless to say that the RJD MP, who has openly come in support of Manjhi, denied the report saying he did not even know who Sharfuddin was.
While the BJP MlAs were protesting and shouting slogans against the Assembly Speaker, about a dozen Mahadalit MlAs of JD(U), led by former Minister Shyam Rajak, attacked the saffron party for humiliating a Mahadalit Speaker.
After the conclusion of the BJP legislature Party meeting, senior BJP leader and former deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on Thursday said, “Our party has decided to avenge the humiliation heaped on a Mahadalit CM by Nitish Kumar.”
Knowing fully that Manjhi was far away from the required numbers to prove his majority on the floor of the Assembly; the BJP’s decision is loaded with electoral politics. Political observers said the party is targeting Dalit and Mahadalit votes which account for 15 per cent of the total population of Bihar.
Sushil Modi said three-line whip has been issued to all 87 MlAs directing them to vote for the confidence motion. The party also has the support of three Independent MlAs.
BJP leader Vinod Narayan Jha said during the two-day meeting of the legislature Party held at the residence of Modi, there was overwhelming opinion of the MlAs to back Manjhi. Not a single MlA had a different opinion, added another MlA Prem Ranjan Patel.
Sushil Modi clarified that the BJP has no other intention but to help a Mahadalit CM and the party will neither ask for share in power nor stake claim for Government formation. Bitterly criticizing Assembly Speaker Udai Narain Chaudhary, also a Mahadalit, the BJP leader said during his 25 years of parliamentary career, he did see such a partisan role as shown by the Speaker. “He scripted a black chapter in parliamentary democracy by derecognising the BJP as main Opposition party.”
Demanding secret voting during the confidence motion, Modi said it is a peculiar situation in the Assembly as the JD(U) will have two leaders; Manjhi, who is sworn in by the Governor, and Nitish Kumar, who is elected by his party. Also there are two chief whips of JD(U): Shrawan Kumar and Rajiv Ranjan and both have issued whips one asking to oppose the motion and another directing to favour the motion. “Under these circumstances, we strongly favour secret voting so that the MlAs can vote freely,” he said.