Nitish Kumar on wafer-thin majority, won't last long as CM, says Manoj Jha

Janata Dal (United) chief Nitish Kumar is on a wafer-thin majority in Bihar "managed" by the Bharatiya Janata Party, said senior Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Manoj Jha on Saturday adding his government won't last long.

He accused Nitish Kumar of suppressing the people's mandate with a decree by switching from the 'Mahagathbandhan' to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in 2017 and said that the people of Bihar have woken up now.

"Even the NDA and the BJP must admit that if it had not been a mandate for change, Nitish Ji would not have won around 40 seats in the State Legislative Assembly. You (Nitish Kumar) are on a wafer-thin majority, that too, a managed one. A managed-majority government doesn't last long," Jha told ANI here.

He said that the RJD has already approached the Election Commission of India about the low vote margins and warned Nitish Kumar of people coming to streets demanding accountability in the coming days.

Nitish Kumar had on Friday tendered his resignation to state Governor Phagu Chauhan.

"You (Nitish Kumar) suppressed the people's mandate with a decree, but now the people of Bihar have woken up. They have seen the difference between a mandate and a decree. Now, people of Bihar will not spare you. People will now come to roads to ensure accountability," Jha said.

Commenting on Nitish Kumar's remark on LJP, Jha said he doesn't have any other option. "Nitish doesn't have an option. A person with 40 seats is looking to become the next Chief Minister. The BJP has the control and the script now," he added.

Earlier, Nitish Kumar had left it up to the BJP to decide on whether Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), which contested against the JDU in the Legislative Assembly polls, will remain in the NDA or not.

Jha said Chirag Paswan had raised good questions about the attitude of then Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and his deputy Sushil Modi when labourers and daily wagers were coming back to their villages amid the COVID-19 lockdown.

This comes as the constituents of the NDA, which secured a majority in the recently concluded Bihar Assembly Elections, are slated to meet on Sunday to select its new leader. The BJP had won 74 seats, JD-U 43, while eight seats were won by two other NDA constituents.

(ANI)

Also Read: Bihar: Will remain with Nitish Kumar and NDA, says Hindustan Awam Morcha