Lalu’s Manjhi overtures rub JD(U) the wrong way

A day before the ‘Janata Parivar’ constituents go into a yet another <g data-gr-id="39">huddle</g> to remove irritants in the path of their merger, Rashtriya  Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Thursday caused disquiet in JD(U) with remarks that former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi be part of the 

“broader unity” against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Manjhi, a detractor of Kumar, floated the Hindustani <g data-gr-id="25">Awam</g> Party, after being ousted as Chief Minister and is said to be veering towards the BJP.

“We are for a broader unity of parties against the BJP, in which everybody, including Manjhi, shall come forward,” Yadav said. “Be it merger or alliance, there is a need for broader unity of parties to fight together against BJP...Manjhi and others shall come forward for this,” he said.

Kumar, who had handpicked Manjhi as his successor, after he decided to step down, following JD(U)’s humiliating defeat in last year’s Lok Sabha elections, chose not to speak to media over Yadav’s suggestion.

However, Yadav’s invitation to Manjhi to be a part of the efforts for a “broader unity” against the BJP did not go down well with the JD(U), which is keen on formalising the merger ahead of the state Assembly polls likely to be held in September or October this year.

State JD(U) president Basistha Narayan Singh said there was “no point” in bringing Manjhi into the picture due to his reported proximity to the BJP. “Manjhi is not in the to-do list of the Janata Party unity process. Nitish Kumar had chosen him for the chair of Chief Minister, but he turned out to be a puppet in the hands of BJP,” state JD(U) spokesman Neeraj Kumar said, reacting to Yadav’s invitation to Manjhi.

Brishen Patel, a former minister and close aide of Manjhi, however, thanked Yadav for the invitation, but made it clear that his party would not be a part of any political combination that has Nitish Kumar. 

“But, one thing is clear that Manjhi and his newly floated Hindustani <g data-gr-id="29">Awam</g> Party (HAM) would not be part of any combination of which Nitish Kumar is a part,” said Patel, who had been a minister in the governments led by Yadav, Rabri Devi, Nitish Kumar and Manjhi.