Jitan Manjhi questions credentials of Ram Vilas Paswan, calls himself true leader of Dalits

PATNA| NEW DELHI: Cracks appeared in Bihar's National Democratic Alliance when Hindustani Awam Morcha founder Jitan Manjhi questioned the credentials of ally Ram Vilas Paswan to be called the leader of Dalits.

The BJP-led NDA, which comprises the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party of Upendra Kushawaha, apart from Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party and HAM, has not been able to complete seat-sharing for the state assembly polls whose schedule will be announced on Wednesday Referring to Paswan's alleged statement that he (read Manjhi) is on trial, Manjhi said Paswan should first free his party from the grip of his family members.

He questioned the recognition of Ram Vilas Paswan as Dalit leader by saying that he had not uttered a word related to welfare of the Dalit community. He said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's popularity was responsible for the victory of six LJP MPs in the last Lok Sabha polls.

Manjhi, who addressed a press conference at his residence in Patna, reminded Paswan of LJP's “zero strength” in the state assembly. Manjhi's statement indicated all was not well in NDA over sharing seats. What seems to have angered Manjhi was Paswan's reported claim that HAM may not be able to transfer votes of his caste — Mushahar — to the NDA.

The LJP asked the BJP last week not to give tickets to rebel JD-U legislators who joined HAM and plan to contest the polls. LJP parliamentary board chairman Chirag Paswan asked BJP president Amit Shah to keep such leaders out of the NDA and not give them tickets to contest the assembly polls either as candidates of the BJP or allies.

Manjhi's HAM has staked claimed for over 30 seats including 13 sitting legislators (all rebel JD-U) and the LJP has staked claimed for over 50 seats. RLSP has staked claim for over 40 seats.

However, BJP is not ready to give more than 83 seats to its three allies and likely to contest 170 to 160 seats itself. The ruling Janta Dal (United) has already finalised a seat-sharing deal with the Rashtriya Janata Dal and the two will contest 100 seats each and leave 40 to the Congress and three to the Nationalist Congress Party. The talks to accommodate Mulayam's Samajwadi party, however, have not borne fruit.