Party With Most Seats in 2019 Will Choose PM: Manjhi to The Quint

Bihar’s former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi discussed whether Rahul Gandhi will lead Opposition’s campaign in 2019 polls.

Bihar’s former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi speaks exclusively to The Quint.

(Photo: The Quint)

“I have been requesting PM Narendra Modi for the last 3 years to work for the interest of Dalits and backward people but he has never paid heed to it. That is the reason I left the NDA and joined the Opposition. Who leaves the party which is in power?”

This is what Bihar’s former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi has to say.

He exclusively spoke to The Quint and discussed everything from working with PM Modi to Rahul Gandhi’s leadership.

Will Opposition’s 2019 Campaign Be Held Under Rahul Gandhi’s Leadership?

"The question of leadership is not so important, the Opposition will have to be one to defeat the BJP. But after the victory, the decision should be taken. The party which gets the highest seats will choose the prime minister, " Manjhi said.

After the JD(U) lost the Lok Sabha elections in 2014, Nitish Kumar resigned as chief minister, taking responsibility for the defeat. He made Manjhi the CM.

He remained as CM for nine months, after which Nitish Kumar asked him to step down. Manjhi refused to quit and was subsequently suspended from the party.

Manjhi formed his own party, the Hindustani Awami Morcha Secular. Though he separated from Nitish Kumar, he remained a part of NDA for 3 years. But recently he left it to join the RJD-Congress alliance.

‘Governor Did Not Give RJD the Opportunity to Form Govt’

Post Karnataka elections, when the governor called the BJP which was the single largest party, former deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav demanded to form the government as the RJD is the single largest party in Bihar Assembly.

“I am the prime witness of Bihar politics. Bihar’s governor did not give Tejashwi the opportunity. The RJD had maximum seats. This is an injustice against the RJD,” he said.

(This story was originally published on Quint Hindi)