Beleaguered Jitan Ram Manjhi set to meet PM Modi, may demand special status for state
New Delhi: Beleaguered Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi is set to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today evening with the two expected to discuss the political situation in the state where an overwhelming majority of ruling JD(U) MLAs yesterday chose Nitish Kumar as their party leader.
Sources close to Manjhi, who has refused to step down and termed the JD(U) Legislature Party meet yesterday "unconstitutional", said he wanted BJP to support his bid to prevent Kumar -- his one-time mentor against whom he has rebelled -- from taking over from him.
Manjhi on Sunday put up a brave face, saying "Manjhi's boat never sinks" even as he is scheduled to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi this evening to discuss the political crisis in Bihar.
Manjhi, who was sacked as the JD(U) legislature party leader at a meeting of the party's MLAs on Saturday, shot back when asked about his fate, saying "Manjhi ki nao kabhi nahin dubti hain (Manjhi's boat never sinks)" but declined to make any further comment.
Read: Bihar political crisis: JD(U) stands divided for power
At the meeting, which is scheduled to be held at 5pm, Manjhi and Modi could explore possibilities in this regard, they added. He could also demand for special status for the state.
Manjhi is here to attend the NITI Aayog meet where Modi will seek views of chief ministers on the budgetary allocation for the states and various central projects even though JD(U) has disapproved of his bid to take part in the exercise, saying his position as chief minister was no longer tenable.
Read: Jitan Ram Manjhi ‘ousted’, Nitish Kumar elected
Although BJP is keen to exploit the crisis within JD(U) to consolidate its position in Bihar, it is also wary about propping up Manjhi, whose tenure has been criticised by its state unit for poor governance.
The lack of support for the Mahadalit leader within his own party is also dissuading BJP from coming out openly to back Manjhi as it believes that numbers in the Bihar Assembly clearly favour Kumar.
Manjhi, on the other hand, is also exploring the possibility of a fresh election in the state -- a demand also made by senior Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi -- if the Bihar Governor Kesrinath Tripathi agrees to his Cabinet proposal to dissolve the Assembly.
Read: Now, PM Modi turns focus on Bihar
Only seven members of the Manjhi Cabinet had supported the proposal at their meeting yesterday while 21 others had opposed it.
Later, 97 of JD(U)'s 111 MLAs met to replace Manjhi with Kumar as their new leader, underlining the lack of support for the chief minister within his own party.
