Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi caused a flutter on Tuesday after he threatened to give up his cabinet berth, alleging that his Hindustani Awam Morcha was not getting a square deal in the NDA ahead of the Bihar assembly polls due later this year.
The former Bihar chief minister made the statement at a public meeting in Munger district, where he voiced anguish over his party not being taken into account by the BJP-led coalition in seat-sharing arrangements.
"We got nothing in Jharkhand and Delhi. It may be said that I did not make any demand. But is it justice? I was overlooked because I had no standing in these states. So we must prove our worth in Bihar," Manjhi said.
Quoting a verse from the Ramayana which implies that often fear begets respect, the 80-year-old leader remarked "it seems I will have to resign from the cabinet".
The temperamental leader also added in the same breath "some may say I am fighting with the NDA. But, the leadership of Narendra Modi has been such that there is no question of a revolt. I am making a plea, not indulging in a confrontation".
Manjhi, who is the lone MP of his party that has four MLAs in the 243-strong assembly, also disclosed that he wanted "40 seats" for the Hindustani Awam Morcha in the Bihar assembly polls.
"If our party returns with a tally of even 20, we will be able to get our demands fulfilled, said the former CM, who insisted that he was not pursuing any personal ambitions but eyeing a better deal for Bhuiyan-Musahar," a Dalit community to which he belongs. -- PTI
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