Twitter: @the_news_21
Former Bihar CM Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) on Monday withdrew its support to the Mahagathbandhan government led by Nitish Kumar.
HAM has four MLAs in Bihar legislative assembly.
Though the withdrawal of support by HAM would not impact the strength of the Bihar government, it comes as a blow to opposition unity ahead of the much anticipated meeting of anti-BJP parties in Patna on June 23.
The HAM’s withdrawal of support comes a week after Manjhi’s son Santosh Suman on tendered his resignation from the state cabinet alleging ‘pressure’ to merge his Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) with the Janata Dal (United).
“I have sent my resignation to the chief minister and personally met Vijay Kumar Chaudhary (senior JD(U) leader and minister) to explain my point. I hope my resignation will be accepted. We are, though, not pulling out of the Mahagathbandhan,” Santosh Suman had told reporters.
Santosh Suman, the current president of HAM and the son of former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, served as the Minister of SC and ST Welfare in Nitish Kumar’s Mahagathbandhan cabinet in Bihar.
Following his resignation, Suman highlighted that his father, who was leading the party at the time, made the decision to leave the NDA and join the Mahagathbandhan last year due to his unwavering loyalty towards Nitish Kumar.
“It is for the CM to decide whether we be kept in the Mahagathbandhan or expelled. We will decide accordingly. But in view of the JD(U)’s proposal, I had to take a decision to save my party from extinction. Hence I resigned,” Suman had said back then.
