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Jitan Ram Manjhi criticises Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family, demands 15 seats from NDA for Bihar polls, and vows support but seeks respect and party recognition.
Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. (File/PTI)
Hindustani Awam Morcha (secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi took a swipe at former Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav’s family, accusing them of being “obsessed with power.”
In a sarcastic remark aimed at RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav, Manjhi said it seemed the former deputy chief minister might soon announce that “if RJD forms the government in Bihar, every family will get a four-kattha farmhouse each on the Moon and Mars.”
Continuing his jibe, Manjhi added, “No matter how much a donkey tries, it can’t grow horns on its head,” calling it a message for the “little lantern”, a reference to the Rashtriya Janata Dal’s (RJD) election symbol.
The sharp remarks come amid an intensifying political war of words in Bihar ahead of the upcoming elections, with opposition leaders trading barbs over promises and alliances.
As Bihar gears up for assembly elections next month, political tensions within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) are beginning to surface. Manjhi said he feels insulted as his people have long been ignored and asserted that his party will not contest the upcoming state elections if it does not receive at least 15 seats.
Manjhi had said, “If we do not get 15 seats, we will not contest the elections. I feel insulted, and our people have been ignored. We have always supported the NDA; it is their duty to ensure we are respected. Fifteen seats will allow us to win 8–9, but if not, we may exercise our final option of leveraging our support across 60–70 constituencies to secure party recognition. I have no objection to Chirag, but please save us from humiliation.”
In a subsequent statement, Manjhi clarified his stand, “There is no dispute on seat-sharing from our side. We are only asking for recognised seats so that our party gains official status in the Assembly. Even if we don’t contest a single seat, we will remain with the NDA.”
October 10, 2025, 07:23 IST
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