Gaya (Bihar) [India], March 23 (ANI): Former Bihar Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, irked over an alleged attack on his niece Kesari Devi and other family members, said that he would have killed attackers if such an incident had taken place with him.

Patna Feb 22 PTI The political fraternity in Bihar on Tuesday racked its brains on Chief Minister Nitish Kumars worthiness for the post of the President of India which is to fall vacant in a few months from now The ball has been set rolling by Maharashtra leader Nawab Malik who said that his party headed by Sharad Pawar was ready to back the JDU leader for the countrys highest constitutional office if the latter snapped ties with BJP When Kumar was approached by journalists he replied with folded hands This matter is not at the back of my mind There was no reaction so far from BJP his ally in Bihar which rules the Centre with majority in Lok Sabha but may have to depend heavily on the support of other parties to get a candidate of its choice elected as the president The tenure of President Ram Nath Kovind ends in July The electoral college comprises members of both houses of Parliament besides legislative assemblies of states and union territories There were mixed reactions from the RJD founded and headed by Kumars arch rival Lalu Prasad on the chief ministers name doing the rounds for the top job in the country Prasads maverick elder son Tej Pratap Yadav questioned how could a murder accused be elected to the top post He was referring to a nearly three decades old case in which Kumar has been acquitted by Supreme Court Upset over his fathers conviction in yet another fodder scam case he declared petulantly Lalu ji will become the prime minister RJD spokesmen Mrityunjay Tiwari and Shakti Yadav came up with a more nuanced response Tiwari said As a Bihari I will be proud if a leader from the state became the president but alleged that Kumar once seen as prime minister material by Laluji himself had lost his credibility following his realignment with BJP Shakti Yadav recalled Kumars own stance in the last two presidential elections when he had supported candidates fielded by coalitions opposed to the ones he was part of The JDU leader had supported Pranab Mukherjee despite then being with the NDA and supported Kovind who was fielded by the BJP though he was then in the Grand Alliance which included RJD and Congress Yadav added tongue in cheek The president is supreme commander of the armed forces If people start getting elected to such a post with the backing of a PR agency then the country is definitely headed for interesting times The jibe was aimed at Prashant Kishor famous political strategist and a former aide of Kumar who had met the Bihar chief minister during his recent Delhi trip It is being reported in a section of the media that Kishor who has worked in his professional capacity with almost every prominent political party in the country is playing a role in getting non-BJP parties back Kumar by way of demonstrating opposition unity The JDU is predictably gratified with the hubbub and state minister Shravan Kumar a confidant of Kumar ebulliently asserted that the Bihar chief minister deserved to be at the top Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi showered praise on Kumar who had helped him reach the states highest seat of power He is suited for the highest offices As far as I am concerned when chief ministership came my way I did not flinch from accepting the challenge I am game for any future challenges said Manjhi who has a reputation for loquaciousness Meanwhile LJP leader Chirag Paswan who seems intent on making a career out of attacks on Kumar bristled at the sudden spotlight on the septuagenarian In a tweet he taunted Kumar for not denying the speculations and charged him with pursuing his own ambitions while leaving the state in ruins PTI NAC KK KK KK

Patna (Bihar) [India], December 19 (ANI): Former Bihar chief minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday clarified that the derogatory word used by him referred to his own community and not pundits.

Gaya (Bihar) [India], October 18 (ANI): Regarding the killing of civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi said that if the situation is getting out of control, then Biharis are capable of settling the Kashmir issue.

Patna Oct 18 PTI Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday condemned the targeted killing of Bihari migrant workers in Jammu and Kashmir saying the incidents have created an environment of fearKumar said he has spoken to Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha and senior Bihar officials are in touch with their counterparts in the union territory over the incidentsIts a matter of serious concern that people who have gone for work are being deliberately targeted in JK Authorities concerned must remain alert to check such incidents there he told reporters after winding up his public interaction programme Janata Ke Durbar Mein Mukhyamantri Chief Minister in the Court of PeopleTwo labourers from Bihar were gunned down by terrorists in Kulgam district on Sunday taking the number of civilians killed in targeted attacks in JK this month to 11 Another labourer sustained bullet injuryKumar said he has conveyed his concern over the killings to SinhaEvery citizen is free to go to any corner of the country for work The latest incident in which two labourers from Bihar were killed in JK is quite serious as militants barged into the accommodation of the victims and fired on them Their bodies are being brought back to Bihar he saidSundays was the third attack on non-local labourers in less than 24 hours The deceased have been identified as Raja Rishidev and Joginder Rishidev while Chunchun Rishidev was injured Arvind Kumar Sah a golgappa seller was shot dead a few days agoI hope that JK authorities will now be alert and make adequate security arrangements to ensure that no one especially migrant workers is attacked there They should obtain information about migrant workers and the place where they are residing Kumar saidThe Bihar government has announced an ex-gratia of Rs 2 lakh for the next of kin of the deceased and issued instructions to the department of labour and social welfare to ensure that benefits under relevant schemes reach the bereaved familiesMeanwhile former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has also condemned the killings and even targeted the prime minister and the union home minister Im deeply upset because our Bihari brothers are being killed in Kashmir If Prime Minister Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah are unable to improve the situation in Kashmir then they should leave it to us Biharis we will turn things around in 15 days said Manjhi in a tweetThe terror attacks have drawn strong condemnation from political parties across the spectrum PTI PKD SK SK

Patna Sep 22 PTI Rozina Nazish NDA candidate and widow of former MLC Tanweer Akhtar on Wednesday filed her nomination for the upcoming bypoll in one vacant Bihar Legislative Council seat scheduled to be held on October 4 The ruling JDU a constituent of the NDA declared her the alliances official candidate Chief Minister Nitish Kumar Deputy Chief Ministers Tarkishore Prasad and Renu Devi and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi were present at the time of submission of her documents The byelection was necessitated after Akhtar the in-charge of JDUs minority cell succumbed to COVID-19 at a state-run hospital in Patna on May 8 this year After the untimely demise of Tanweer Akhtar we all constituent parties of the alliance unanimously decided to field Rozina Nazish as the NDA candidate for the bypoll to one vacant legislative council seat the chief minister told reporters Tanweer was first elected to the Bihar Legislative Council as the Congress nominee in July 2016 PTI PKD ACD ACD

New Delhi [India], September 16 (ANI): Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief and former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Thursday met with BJP national president JP Nadda in the national capital.

New Delhi [India], August 23 (ANI): After meeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly Tejashwi Yadav on Monday said that the PM would be looking into the matter of caste-based census, and the delegation is waiting for his decision about the same.

New Delhi [India], August 23 (ANI): CPI(M) MLA from Bihar Ajay Kumar who is part of the delegation that will meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi today to discuss caste-based census, said the issue is the need of the hour.