Bihar political crisis: Nitish accuses BJP of secretly helping Manjhi

Patna: Accusing BJP of “clandestinely” helping Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi to trigger chaos in Bihar, senior JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar asked the saffron party to come out in open support of Manjhi. [caption id=“attachment_2101901” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Nitish Kumar accused BJP of secretly helping Jitan Ram Manjhi in Bihar. PTI[/caption] “Instead of clandestinely helping Manjhi, BJP should announce open support to him,” Kumar said. The new JD(U) Legislature Party leader alleged that it was BJP’s “game plan” to trigger chaos in Bihar by propping up a minority government of dissidents led by Manjhi. He further alleged that BJP was trying to engineer violence during trust vote on 20 February to prepare ground for imposition of President’S rule. Kumar said the party “acted on time” (decision to remove Manjhi) as after two-three months they could have been rendered with no option but to “rue the devastation”. He admitted time and again he has faced “problems” from people close to him, but said he should not be blamed for it. “Dosh bharosha karne wala ka nahi hai balki bharosha ke sath vishwaghat karne wale ka hai (It is not the fault of a person who reposes faith in somebody, but of the person who betrays with the faith),” he said. “Such things happened with him so many times and I know this one (from Manjhi) is not the last, and more such event will happen in future too,” Kumar alleged. “People gain stature while being with me and later part company and start attacking me,” he claimed, adding, “now I have adjusted to this.” Kumar was apparently hinting about his soured relationship with close lieutnants like Upendra Kushwaha, now Union Minister of State for HRD, senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, rebel JD(U) MLA Gyanendra Singh Gyanoo among others. He said he held no grudge against them and take it as might be due to his “fate”. On BJP playing “dalit card” against him, Kumar said its their “illusion” as it would pay them no political benefit because people could see their design. Kumar charged Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi with pushing Bihar to a situation of “instability” by giving 14 days to Manjhi to prove his majority. This he said was in sharp contrast to his views when he and other leaders had met him in Raj Bhawan on 9 February and urged him to call a special session of Assembly before 20 February so that a new government could prepare his speech to the joint session of Bihar Legislature on 20 February and give shape to the state budget. He said that budget session of the two Houses of state Legislature was already called from February and he did not “tinker” with it and said “the February 20 date for start of budget session which would start with the Governor’s address to the joint session, hence a special session of only the legislative assembly could have been easily called to give time to Manjhi to prove his majority.” “See how this time is being used. Manjhi cabinet is announcing populist schemes which would have grave financial implications and bringing governance and administration to standstill,” he said and blamed BJP and the Union government for this situation. A pro-Nitish delegation has submitted a memorandum to the Governor to stop Manjhi from taking big policy decisions till 20 February. JD(U) Legislator Niraj Kumar has also knocked on the doors of the Patna High Court on the issue. On demand for secret ballot, Kumar said it would violate anti-defection law under Xth schedule of the Constitution. Kumar expressed full faith in the MLAs supporting him. “Jor Tor ki koshish ho rahi hai par koi tutega nahin (attempts are being made to break people but nobody will could be broken), he said. Kumar has submitted letters of support from 130 MLAs of JD(U), RJD, Congress, one CPI and one Independent and even paraded them before media in front of Raj Bhavan and later at the Rashtrapati Bhavan. PTI