Ex-Bihar CM Manjhi says Tejashwi, Rahul, Chirag go for 'honeymoon' when it's time for work

Slamming Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, LJP leader Chirag Paswan and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav on Thursday, HAM leader and former CM of Bihar Jitan Ram Manjhi commented on their "absence" from the state. He said that the three go for "honeymoon somewhere" whenever there is a crisis in their party or in the state. Terming the three as "yuvraj", the former Bihar Chief Minister also said that party who policy is for the people gets public support while dismissing reports pf chaos within the ruling NDA. 

"The three yuvraj of India, Bihar, whether Rahul Gandhi, Chirag Paswan or Tejashwi Yadav, when the time comes, the three go for honeymoon somewhere. What they go for, it is not known. The party whose policy is right, that party gets public support. People of our society become legislators, ministers and forget the needs of society," he said. However, Manjhi also said that HAM will contest in the upcoming West Bengal elections and stated that HAM wants one MLC post and one more ministerial post in Bihar.

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Shyam Rajak's claim and RJD's offer

Earlier, RJD leader Shyam Rajak had said that as many as 17 RJD MLAs are in touch with the Tejashwi Yadav-led party. Rajak claimed that all the 17 MLAs wanted to join RJD but were denied entry as Lalu Prasad Yadav's party doesn't want to resort to unconstitutional means. Citing anti-defection laws, Rajak said that if 25 to 26 legislators from JD(U) will join the party, then their membership will be accepted. The RJD leader claimed that JD(U) MLAs are unhappy about the way BJP was asserting itself on Nitish Kumar.

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Moreover, RJD leader Uday Narayan Choudhary urged CM Nitish to leave NDA and return to the Mahagatbandhan citing BJP's alleged contempt for small parties. He had claimed that the JP Nadda-led party wanted to finish JD(U) and highlighted Arunachal Pradesh as an example. He predicted that LJP president Chirag Paswan shall be inducted into the Union Cabinet soon to trouble Nitish Kumar.

Nitish and Sushil Modi's response

Meanwhile, dismissing claims of JDU-turned-RJD leader Shyam Rajak of a massive switchover of 17 JDU MLAs to RJD, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, stated that such claims were baseless. Speaking to reporters while visiting a bird sanctuary, Kumar said, "Anyone can make any claims they want. All are completely baseless."

BJP Rajya Sabha MP and former Bihar Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi also rubbished RJD's claim. In a jibe at the Lalu Prasad Yadav-led party, Modi pointed out that RJD was not able to stop its own MLAs and MLCs from jumping ship ahead of the 2020 Bihar Assembly polls. At least 5 MLCs and 7 MLAs belonging to RJD had joined JD(U) in the lead-up to the election. He reminded RJD that its 'experienced dynastic leadership' had been rejected by the poor, labourers, youth and women of the state. Alleging that some leaders are making claims of luring NDA legislators simply to please the RJD leadership, Modi contended that they did not have political honesty. 

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