Ahead of June 23 Opposition meet, Jitan Ram Manjhi's son quits Bihar cabinet

Why you are reading this: Ahead of the Mahagathbandhan meeting called by Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, the son of former Bihar Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) patron Jitan Ram Manjhi, Santosh Manjhi, has quit the Bihar cabinet.

3 Things You Need To Know

• This development shows the collapse of opposition unity in the state of Bihar ahead of the June 2023 meeting.
• HAM has alleged that their existence was under threat, and this decision was taken to protect the party.
• Manjhi's son has resigned because he was constantly being pressured by Nitish Kumar to merge with the JDU party, per a source.

Won't withdraw my resignation: Santosh Manjhi after resigning from Bihar cabinet

After tendering the resignation, Manjhi's son said, "The future of my party was in danger, and this is why I took this step."

"To save our existence, we took an exit, and I won't take my registration back. There was no recognition in the party. I escaped from the jungle and from the lion who suppressed others."

Manjhi's son also clarified that the party is not thinking about reaching out to the BJP-led NDA and will stick with the ruling alliance. He, however, expressed that he wants to be a part of Mahagathbandhan.

Who is Suman Manjhi?

Suman Manjhi is the son of former Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi. Before his resignation, he was serving as the Minister for the SC/ST Welfare Department in the state government under Nitish Kumar's rule. His party forged an alliance with the ruling JD (U) and Tejashwi Yadav's Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). The resignation was offered by Santosh Kumar Suman to Bihar Parliamentary Affairs Minister and Nitish Kumar's party colleague Vijay Kumar Chaudhary on Tuesday.