Manjhi meets PM, but silent on alliance with BJP

Amid speculation of an electoral understanding, the former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, Mr. Manjhi parried questions on a pre-poll alliance with the Bharatiya Janata Party and said that he would go with a formation that was opposed to incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

Asked if he would accept Rashtriya Janata Dal chief Lalu Prasad’s invitation to join the Janata Parivar, he said any tie-up between Mr. Prasad and Mr. Kumar would not work as RJD workers would not accept Mr. Kumar and the Janata Dal (U) has a small voter base.

“If there is a need to ally with any party following the election, I will go with a formation that does not include Nitish Kumar,” he said.

The former Chief Minister, who formed the Hindustan Awam Morcha after he came out of the JD(U), wields influence over the sizeable Mahadalit voters who can tilt the scales in the Bihar elections due later this year.

Mr. Manhi said he met Mr. Modi to raise the issue of farmers in Bihar and demanded a CBI probe into alleged irregularities in the procurement of paddy in the State.

Although it appears that Mr. Manjhi will prefer to ally with the BJP, the party has adopted a “wait and watch” approach. It will first see which way the Janata Parivar is going against the backdrop of the merger of socialist parties running into rough weather, BJP sources said.