The Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), latest party to join the NDA in Bihar, today refused to accept the chief ministerial candidate in the coming Assembly poll and suggested that the candidate be "unanimously" chosen at a meeting of all alliance partners.
Answering questions by reporters whether the party accepts senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi as the CM candidate, HAM state president Shakuni Chaudhary said, "How can we accept anybody as the CM candidate? The NDA has not declared anybody's name for it till now. He should be chosen unanimously at a meeting of all alliance partners."
Chaudhary, however, says that normally the bigger party in an alliance nominates its leader as chief ministerial candidate and "the decision of the bigger party is acceptable to other partners in an alliance".
Praising the leadership of HAM leader and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, Chaudhary said, "Manjhi has decided to contest the Assembly polls in the state" though the constituency for him was yet to be finalised.
He also asserted that wind would blow Manjhi's way and the party or alliance whom he supports will win in the elections.
HAM, formed after Manjhi rebelled against JD-U and resigned as Chief Minister on February 20 this year, declared last week that it would contest the Bihar polls scheduled in September-October in alliance with the NDA.
Reacting to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar calling Manjhi a 'Vibhishan' (younger brother of Ravan), who will not be forgiven for his betrayal, Chaudhary said Kumar should first think and answer why Vibhishan went against Ravan.
"Ravan was unjust, tyrannical, oppressive, licentious and a wrong-doer. Vibhishan tried to stop him and showed him the right path. He asked him to return Sita to Lord Ram, but was thrown out of Lanka instead. He then did what was needed for the destruction of Ravan," Chaudhary said.
