Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi took a dig at Bihar CM Nitish Kumar on Saturday.
Recalling their separation in 2001 when Manjhi formed his own party, and Nitish expressed doubts about his ability to lead it successfully, he said, “I want to thank Nitish Kumar ji, when we separated in 2015 and formed the party he raised doubts — ‘Jitan Manjhi se party chalegi? Na paisa hain na kuch’ (Will Jitan Ram Manjhi be able to run the party? They have no money),” Manjhi recalled.
Remembering this, Manjhi on Saturday said that his party has not only managed to function but is also progressing at a remarkable pace. “Today, I can say with pride that our party is not only functioning but is running with a great speed…” the union MSME minister said during his felicitation ceremony at Sri Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna.
Manjhi was felicitated by the leaders and workers of his own Bihar Pradesh Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAMS) party.
Jitan Ram Manjhi, who had briefly realigned with Nitish Kumar in 2020, securing a ministerial position for his son Santosh Suman, recounted his disagreement with the Janata Dal United (JDU) leader last year. “I was asked by Nitish Kumar to merge my party with JD(U) or leave”, said Manjhi, as quoted by news agency PTI. The HAMS chief had previously followed the JD(U) boss in leaving the NDA and later rejoining it, a move that allowed Suman to retain his ministerial position without interruption.
Both Manjhi’s party HAMS and Nitish Kumar’s JDU are part of the NDA alliance.
Earlier in the day, Jitan Ram Manjhi also voiced his support for the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments’ directive to eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners’ names. He said that he found “nothing wrong” with it. The order has drawn criticism from other BJP allies, including Nitish’s party, the Janata Dal (United), union minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).
Recalling their separation in 2001 when Manjhi formed his own party, and Nitish expressed doubts about his ability to lead it successfully, he said, “I want to thank Nitish Kumar ji, when we separated in 2015 and formed the party he raised doubts — ‘Jitan Manjhi se party chalegi? Na paisa hain na kuch’ (Will Jitan Ram Manjhi be able to run the party? They have no money),” Manjhi recalled.
Remembering this, Manjhi on Saturday said that his party has not only managed to function but is also progressing at a remarkable pace. “Today, I can say with pride that our party is not only functioning but is running with a great speed…” the union MSME minister said during his felicitation ceremony at Sri Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna.
Manjhi was felicitated by the leaders and workers of his own Bihar Pradesh Hindustani Awam Morcha-Secular (HAMS) party.
Jitan Ram Manjhi, who had briefly realigned with Nitish Kumar in 2020, securing a ministerial position for his son Santosh Suman, recounted his disagreement with the Janata Dal United (JDU) leader last year. “I was asked by Nitish Kumar to merge my party with JD(U) or leave”, said Manjhi, as quoted by news agency PTI. The HAMS chief had previously followed the JD(U) boss in leaving the NDA and later rejoining it, a move that allowed Suman to retain his ministerial position without interruption.
Both Manjhi’s party HAMS and Nitish Kumar’s JDU are part of the NDA alliance.
Earlier in the day, Jitan Ram Manjhi also voiced his support for the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand governments’ directive to eateries along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their owners’ names. He said that he found “nothing wrong” with it. The order has drawn criticism from other BJP allies, including Nitish’s party, the Janata Dal (United), union minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas).