Patna, June 16 : Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Friday accepted the fact that he had asked HAM supremo Jeetan Ram Manjhi either to merge his party with JD(U) or leave the Grand Alliance.
Kumar, after swearing-in-ceremony of newly inducted Minister Ratnesh Sada in his cabinet, told mediapersons that he had asked Manjhi to either merge his party with JD(U). It was a well known fact that Manjhi was in touch with BJP leaders and his activities were doubtful, he added.
” I wanted participation of HAM supremo Manjhi in proposed opposition parties meeting in Patna on June 23 but it was apprehended that he could pass on contents of the meeting to BJP”, Chief Minister said adding that taking into account of doubtful activities of Manjhi, he had asked him to either merge his party with JD(U) before June 23 opposition meeting in Patna or leave Grand Alliance. Manjhi preferred to walk away from Grand Alliance instead of merging his party with JD(U), he quipped.
Kumar said he had inducted Ratnesh Sada into his cabinet after consultation with party leaders. Decision to induct Sada in cabinet was taken after resignation of Santosh Manjhi as Minister, signalling exit of HAM from Grand Alliance, he noted.
As it is, Santosh Manjhi, son of Jeetan Ram Manjhi, had resigned from Nitish cabinet on June 13 amid intense speculations that HAM could join hands with BJP to become part of NDA. Manjhi after his resignation had told media persons that pressure was being mounted to merge HAM with JD(U).
At the initiative of Chief Minister Kumar, top opposition leaders would meet in Patna on June 23 to explore possibilities of forging national level unity to counter BJP in 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Those who would be participating in the meeting included Congress leader Rahul Gandhi,party president Mallikarjun Kharge, West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee, Jharkhand Chief Minister and JMM leader Hemant Soren, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP president Arvind Kejriwal, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK president M K Stalin, SP president Akhilesh Yadav, Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, CPI General Secretary D Raja and CPI(ML) leader Deepankar Bhattacharya.
