A day after ousted Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi sought time from Prime Minister Narendra Modi, BJP today said the party would "favourably consider" any proposal from his side for a tie-up in the upcoming Bihar Assembly polls.
"BJP had extended support to Jitan Ram Manjhi when he had sought vote of confidence in his government which could not happen as Manjhi had resigned ahead of the trust vote. The party would look into any proposal from his side for teaming with us in the Bihar polls," senior party leader Sushil Kumar Modi told reporters. "We have sympathy for Manjhi who was disgracefully removed from the CM post by Nitish Kumar when he was trying to act independent of him," Modi said.
State BJP President Mangal Pandey echoed similar views. "Jitan Ram Manjhi has been praising the performance of Narendra Modi government at the Centre...if a proposal comes from Manjhi's newly floated Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) party to work with BJP in the coming state election we would favourably consider it," Pandey said. "Our options are open," Pandey said.
On RJD President Lalu Prasad making an appeal to Manjhi to join the proposed front against the BJP, he said, "It's beyond comprehension as with what face he is making an offer to Manjhi when he sided with Nitish Kumar in removing him from CM's chair after humiliating him." Manjhi had yesterday sought time for a meeting with the Prime Minister in between May 25-28 when he would be in Delhi.
Meanwhile, Sushil Modi emphatically ruled out any possibility of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joining hands with BJP in the light of media reports raising question mark on the merger of Janata Parivar. "BJP will not accept Kumar even if he pays penance for betraying the party and voters by snapping ties in 2013," Modi said. Modi said, "Kumar will not get a reliable associate like BJP yet again in life...now he is knowing the pain of partnering with RJD President Lalu Prasad."
