BJP sides with Bihar CM Manjhi, accuses Nitish of trying to topple him

Days after demanding resignation of Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) today said that it does not want him to be sacked. The saffron party also expressed doubts over proposed re-unification of Janata Parivar.

"Manjhi belongs to the Mahadalit community and we don't him to be sacked due to the present power-tussle between him and Nitish Kumar," senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters, "but in case he is forced by the Nitish's men, then we would want assembly polls under Majhi as a caretaker and not under President's rule."On a question that would BJP support Manjhi in case Nitish Kumar toppled him, Sushil Modi said "All options are open."

However, the senior BJP leader also claimed that in this power tussle, governance in the state had been a major casualty. "The state cabinet is a divided house with some ministers close to Nitish Kumar busy in removing Manjhi, while others rallying behind the Chief Minister to foil the bid," Modi claimed.

"It seems there is no coordination in the state cabinet and this is why ministers are speaking in conflicting voices," he said. Asked if BJP was apprehensive of the merger of JD(U) and RJD before the Bihar Assembly polls, Sushil Modi answered in the negative.

"We will rather invite the merger as it will be convenient for us to tell the people about 15 years of misrule of RJD under Lalu Prasad," he said. BJP has already coined the slogan of "Jungle Raj II" to flay joining of hands between Lalu Prasad and Nitish Kumar.

Meanwhile, the former deputy chief minister also expressed doubts over proposed re-unification of Janata Parivar. "The contradictory assertions of senior leaders in the last one week are enough to say the merger is not possible."

Modi was hinting at assertions of JD(U) President Sharad Yadav on January 13 that initially RJD and JD(U) might merge in view of the Bihar Assembly elections and rest would follow in time. But, RJD supremo Lalu Prasad had shot it down saying it would be a merger of all six parties and not only two.

Even as leaders of JD (U), RJD, INLD, SP and SJP mingled and attended Makar Sankranti feasts of state JD(U) President Basistha Narayan Singh as well as Lalu Prasad yesterday, there was no announcement of merger as expected.