'Not going to back off from this fight', says Manjhi

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Friday said that the issue of the possibility of the former being removed from his post has turned into a war and that he is not going to back off from it.

"Such a situation has come that Nitish ji isn't even talking to me when I was ready to listen and agree to all his conditions. But now we are in a fight and I am not going to back off," said Manjhi

"Nitish Kumar, who has done so much of good work for people, is behaving like 'Bishma Pitamah'. I do not know why he is behaving in this manner. He should not have behaved like this today and should have told everyone who is right and who is wrong. If he had a problem and if I was not going my work the right way, he should have told me. Instead, he is discussing these matters with the new 'yamdoot' KC Tyagi," he added.

Earlier in the day, a clash erupted between the supporters of Manjhi and former chief minister Nitish Kumar in Patna.

According to the reports, JD (U) chief Sharad Yadav is expected to ask Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi to step down from his post in a meeting to be held tomorrow.

Senior JD (U) leaders want his predecessor Nitish Kumar to lead the party yet again in the run-up to the elections due in the state later this year.

Manjhi, who has embarrassed his party on several occasions during his short tenure as the Chief Minister, earlier declared a meeting called tomorrow by party chief Sharad Yadav as 'illegal'. Manjhi, who has contended that only the chief minister can call the meeting of MLAs, has called one such meeting for February 20.

Nitish, who had resigned as the Chief Minister owning responsibility for his party getting only two of Bihar's 40 Lok Sabha seats, had handpicked Manjhi to take his place.