Bihar Political Crisis: Jitan Ram Manjhi Resigns Before The Trust Vote, Alleges Receiving Death Threats

Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi has resigned from his post today, just a few hours before trust vote on the floor of the assembly. Manjhi submitted his papers to the Governor Keshari Nath Tripathi. The Principal Secretary to the Governor has confirmed the CM's resignation, and said that the resignation letter was a one line statement. 

Manjhi surprised everyone by visiting the Raj Bhawan at 10 this morning. He returned back to his One Anne Marg residence after a 15-minute meeting with the Governor.

Manjhi's sudden decision to quit is seen in the light of his unsuccessful attempt to get the numbers in the house.

After he decided to rebel against his mentor and ex-CM Nitish Kumar, he was expelled from the JDU. He was to prove his majority in the house today. The BJP had announced yesterday that it will support Manjhi; but even with the support the BJP, Manjhi did not have the numbers to prove his majority.

Earlier the Nitish Kumar camp, comprising of JDU, RJD, Congress, CPI MLAs and one Independent legislator had taken a decision to boycott the Governor's speech prior to the joint session of the Bihar Legislature. 

JDU Chief Whip Shrawan Kumar said that the decision to boycott the Governor's speech was JDU effort to register protest against the decision to give Manjhi a 14 days' time - in which he tried his utmost to Horse trade the MLAs- to prove his majority.

Addressing a press conference, Jitan Manjhi said that he resigned because there were 'death threats' and bribe offers to his MLAs, and the speaker did not allow secret ballot for sake of the security of the MLAs.  

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Nitish Kumar Might Reinstate Himself As The CM Of Bihar; Manjhi On the Verge Of Dismissal After Pro-Modi 'Remarks'

Most of the leaders of the JDU are of the opinion that CM Jitan Ram Manjhi is not competent enough to stop BJP's bandwagon in Bihar. The sources are saying that the JDU is mulling over the possibilities of reinstating the former CM Nitish Kumar as a strategic move to counter the winning spree of the BJP.

Even the party is not happy with the current CM. A few days ago, the JDU Bihar unit president Vashishtha Narayan Singh accepted that the gap between the CM and some of his cabinet members has widened, and it is up to the CM to bridge the gap as he is the head of the government. 

 

Nitish is expected to meet the top-brass of the party to look into the topic. Kumar has, reportedly, procured a green signal from the RJD chief Lalu Yadav. Reports are saying that the JDU chief Sharad Yadav met with Lalu last week to discuss the pros and cons of the issue; Lalu seems to have agreed to the proposition of Kumar being reinstated the CM of Bihar.  

After the thrashing in the general elections at the hands of BJP, JDU put forward the name of Manjhi as the CM as Lalu didn't want to back Nitish then, but with the new found warmth in the relation of the two leaders, Lalu would not mind if Kumar is the CM again. And some of Manjhi's recent pro-Modi comments have also reportedly upset Lalu. 

Amid deteriorating camaraderie between Manjhi and Kumar, Manjhi said that he would prefer his successor to be a dalit but being a duty-bound person he will back Kumar as the CM of the state if JDU gets the numbers in in the coming assembly elections. "One must understand difference between kartavya (duty) and bhavna (sentiment), I am duty-bound to back Nitish Kumar's candidature for the chief minister's post if the party is voted to power again during the Assembly polls later this year," said Manjhi during his weekly program 'Janata Ke Durbar Mein Mukhya Mantri' at his Patna residence.

The assembly elections will be held in October-November this year. 

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Communal Violence Burn Three To Death In Muzzafarpur, Bihar

Three people were burnt to death as a crowd arsoned many houses in a village in Muzzafarpur district of Bihar on Sunday after a dead body of a kidnapped youth was recovered. The incident looks like a clear-cut case of retaliatory communal violence.

Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi who was on a pilgrimage tour to Mumbai has cancelled his trip and ordered a high-level probe into the clash between the two communities; Manjhi will be returning to the state capital Patna on Monday. The government, in the meanwhile, has announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to the families of the victims.  

According to the Bihar Police, in the light of the recovery of a youth's dead body, a mob of hundreds of villagers torched more than a dozen houses in Azizpur village under Saraiya police station of Muzaffarpur district. The fire took three lives. The atmosphere is said to be tense in the village after the gory incident.

The Bihar government has constituted a two-member team to inquire into the incident; the team comprises of the state home secretary Sudhir Kumar and Additional Director General of Police Gupteshwar Pandey.

The body of Bhartendu Sahni, 19, was recovered from an agricultural field on Sunday. He was from a neighboring village, Bahilwara Mali Tola. He went traceless from 9 January and his family had lodged an FIR against Sadaquat Ali alias Vikki of Azizpur village in this connection.

After the news of Sahni's death spread, the angry villagers rushed to Azizpur village and torched many houses. Two people died on-the-spot, while one other gave-in to his injuries on the way to hospital. The flames engulfed vehicles and livestock as well.

Eight men have been arrested by the police thus far in this regard including Sadaquat Ali alias Vikki against whom the family of Sahni has filed an FIR earlier.

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Jitan Manjhi Makes Another Controversial Statement, Lays Support To Maoists Asking For Levy

Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has created another stir by making a Maoist-friendly comment on Sunday. He said that there is nothing wrong in Maoists asking the contractors and businessmen for levy.

"There is nothing wrong if Maoists are demanding levy from contractors engaged in construction of roads, bridge and building and businessmen," said the veteran politician.

Further he recalled that some time ago he came in contact with three Maoists and asked them that why are they demanding levy from contractors and businessmen and arson their vehicles and other equipment if they don't comply with the demands. They told the CM that contractors and businessmen are looting the taxpayer's money by showing bills that are many times more than the actual money spent on their respective projects. Hence, the Maoists are looting the looters.    

Jitan Manjhi said that if the contractors and businessmen are making money by illegal means, it is not wrong to demand levy from them. Maoists are doing the right thing.

The Bihar CM and  Nitish Kumar's trusted commander is not new to controversy. His comments on inter caste marriage, calling all the upper caste people outsiders, asking dalits to reproduce more, demanding the reservation levels to be raised to 80%; all of them have managed to create a lot of controversy. 

Show Hurled at Manjhi, thrower arrested

A man has been nabbed by the police for having hurled a shoe at Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi today. The incident took place when the CM was conducting his weekly "Janta Durbar," a public get together where people are allowed to come to the CM residence and talk about their problems to the CM himself. The shoe has been reported to have missed its mark.

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