Former Bihar Chief Minister and leader of the Hindustani Awam Morcha(Secular) Jitan Ram Manjhi on Friday blamed “elder brother” BJP for not giving due importance to its alliance partners in Bihar.
He further said, there was no proper coordination among the NDA allies and, if needed, all three — the HAM(S), the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) and the Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) — would merge to pursue their own agenda. The State BJP leaders, though, denied lack of coordination among the NDA.
“We consider the BJP our elder brother but it does not give us due importance … there is no proper coordination among NDA allies and this is their (BJP) immaturity,” Mr Manjhi said addressing media persons in Patna. Asked who would be the leader should the allies decide to merge, Mr. Manjhi said: “Anybody among us could be become the leader. Ram Vilas Paswan, Upendra Kushwaha or Jitan Ram Manjhi … anyone could be the leader of the new political formation,” he said.
Mr. Manjhi also regretted that that the BJP had not been opposing the ruling Grand Alliance government in Bihar. “Now, together we’ll take on the Nitish-Lalu-led government on the issue of crime and law and order in the State,” Mr. Manjhi said.
Earlier, on March 28, leaders of all three allies — Ram Vilas Paswan, Upendra Kushwaha and Jitan Ram Manjhi —had a meeting over lunch at the farmhouse of State HAM(S) chief Brishan Patel in Vaishali and are said to have discussed a merger.
LJP vice-president and party MP Chirag Paswan too was present at the meeting and sources privy to the meeting told The Hindu that the three parties had broadly agreed for a merger to become one “forceful political block”.
The next meeting between the three NDA allies, reliable sources told The Hindu , will be held at the residence of RLSP leader and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha. The leaders of these three parties also met twice earlier in Delhi.
“The merger between the alliance partners of the BJP may be finalised by the month of June,” said a party source.
The parties also discussed the issue of contesting the upcoming State assembly polls in U.P., West Bengal, Assam and Punjab. However, State BJP president Mangal Pandey said: “There is no confusion, neither any lack of coordination between us ...we’re together as NDA and will be remain so.”
