Jitan Ram Manjhi dismisses reports about his removal

PATNA: JD (U) president Sharad Yadav and former chief minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday categorically said Jitan Ram Manjhi will continue as Bihar chief minister. Two days back speculations were rife about Manjhi’s uncertain future.
Manjhi regretted some media reports about his removal were just to create sensation in political circles. He said people might take legal action against such reports.Speaking at Jehanabad, Manjhi said, “There was no truth in any report. They want to destabilize my government. That was bunkum (faltu ki baaten). One of the news channels scrolled, ‘Manjhi got another lifeline’ as if I was going to die,” Manjhi said.
Rural development minister Nitish Mishra strongly defended Manjhi and said he must not be removed. “Manjhi as CM is doing excellent work,” Mishra said and claimed the CM was working overtime — 14 to 16 hours daily — for the development of the state.
“He is serious about maintaining law and order and giving suitable instructions to the officers in this regard,” Mishra said. Describing Manjhi as a strong CM, he said the development works started by his predecessor Nitish Kumar were being accelerated by Manjhi who has earned the goodwill of a common man through his welfare activities.
Mishra said bureaucrats take advantage of the speculations about political uncertainty circulated by a section of the media and political parties. “Officers go slow and development works suffer because of such speculations,” Mishra said and added Manjhi enjoyed the support of JD (U) ministers and legislators. Four of his cabinet colleagues had openly said any move to replace Manjhi would be a political hara-kiri.
Meanwhile, Bihar assembly secretary Hareram Mukhiya on Saturday denied reports that the Speaker has called all MLAs on January 16 to attend meetings of different committees of the house. He said no such communication has been sent to the MLAs and clarified that it is the job of the chairmen of the committees, and not of the Speaker, to convene meetings of the house committees. However, meetings of 24 house committees have been convened by their respective chairman on January 16, rescheduling the January 12 and 17 meetings which were earlier announced.
Earlier, dissident JD (U) MLA Gyanendra Kumar Singh Gyanoo alleged the MLAs were called to get their signatures on plain papers for seeking change in JD (U) leadership in the assembly.