'Manjhi Became CM Due to My Stupidity': Nitish Loses Cool in Bihar Assembly; BJP Calls It 'Insult of Dalits'

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is receiving vehement criticism over his remark on population control, on Thursday got himself into another trouble after he said Jitan Ram Manjhi “became the CM due to his stupidity”.

In no time, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) responded to Kumar’s statement and accused him of insulting the Dalits.

As per a video shared by the BJP, Manjhi, who was the Bihar CM for around 10 months between 2014-2015, was seen speaking during the discussion on The Reservation Amendment Bill in the state assembly when the Janata Dal (U) president interrupted him and started speaking.

“He has no idea. It is my fault that I made him the chief minister. He has no sense…. I removed him. When I left you (NDA) in 2013, I was alone. When I made him the CM, after two months, my leaders started telling him that he should not remain in CM’s chair… Yeh meri murkhta se mukhyamantri bana (He became the CM due to my stupidity),” Kumar said.

Nitish Lost His Mental Stability: Manjhi

Responding to Kumar’s remark, Manjhi, the President of the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), said the CM has lost his mental stability and is not fit to remain in the post.

“I was surprised by his statements. I think he has some issues with his senses. He is junior to me and yet he disrespected me. He has lost his mental stability. He had underestimated me when he made me the CM. He thought I was acting as a remote control. I worked for the Dalits in the state and so he made me resign. Because I was a Dalit he thought that I would do whatever he say but I did not do so,” the HAM chief said.

“Though he has raised the reservation cap for SC he hasn’t done anything for us. What is the use of increasing the reservation? We will go to the governor and ask him to dismiss the CM because his mental condition is not right. I don’t want to become governor. I feel pity on him,” he added.

How Manjhi Became Bihar CM in 2014?

Manjhi, once a close confidant of Nitish Kumar, became the chief minister of Bihar in May 2014 after the JD(U) chief resigned from the top post over the party’s poor performance in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections. The JD(U) won only two parliamentary seats out of 40 in Bihar.