The opposition Grand Alliance in Bihar was on Wednesday left in throes of a fresh crisis with RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and Hindustani Awam Morcha Jitan Ram Manjhi crossing swords and speaking of "favours" they owed to each other.
The development took place a day after Manjhi caused a flutter when he met Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar late Tuesday, hours after giving an ultimatum to the RJD to heed the demand, by March 31,for setting up a coordination committee comprising representatives from all the five partners of the grouping.
Yadav, who is RJD supremo Lalu Prasads political heir, mocked Manjhi a former Chief Minister himself when he was showered with questions about the demand at a press conference he had called, ostensibly, to launch an attack on the Nitish Kumar government over its alleged failures on many fronts.
"He (Manjhi) seems to have forgotten that a coordination committee was, indeed, in place. How else did his son end up getting elected to the legislative council from the RJD quota", Yadav remarked.
Notably, Manjhi who was earlier with the NDA had joined the Grand Alliance in March, 2018 when it was considerably weakened on account of Nitish Kumars abrupt exit and left with only the RJD and the Congress.
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The HAM founder, who is the sole MLA of his party, was rewarded with a berth in the state's upper house for his son Santosh Kumar Manjhi with the help of the RJD which was the single largest party in the assembly and had enough votes to spare.
Yadav has been declared as the Chief Ministerial candidate for assembly elections due later this year much to the annoyance of coalition partners which feel slighted over the RJDs "unilateral" move.
Yadav reminded Manjhi "we gave him three seats to contest in Lok Sabha polls and one in assembly by-elections. He should recall what was on offer for him in the NDA".
About the HAM chiefs March 31 deadline an indication that Manjhi might review his continuance in the Grand Alliance if his voice was not heeded Yadav said dismissively "all are free to choose their own paths".
An indignant Manjhi hit back by hurriedly convening a press conference.
"I did not come to the RJD carrying an application seeking entry into the Grand Alliance. Tejashwi Yadav may not be aware of the course of events. He should ask his father Lalu Prasad. I was beseeched by the RJD leadership with no less than 50 telephonic talks to cross over, fumed Manjhi.
The HAM president claimed that Prasad had implored him to join the Grand Alliance to bolster the RJDs prospects in by- elections to Araria Lok Sabha seat and Jehanabad assembly segment, both of which it retained by comprehensive margins in May, 2018.
"An assembly segment wise break up of Araria by-elections shows that the RJD candidate had trailed in areas considered RJD strongholds. The party owed its victory to handsome leads in the remaining assembly segments where HAM had a strong presence", claimed Manjhi.
He, however, denied that his meeting with Kumar on the previous day was indicative of intentions to return to the NDA.
"I had approached him with a request to inaugurate some projects in my native village. He agreed and I am thankful to him for that", said Manjhi.
Manjhi had floated his own outfit in 2015 when he quit JD(U) revolting against the partys diktat to step down and make way for the return, as Chief Minister, of Kumar who had resigned less than a year ago taking moral responsibility for the partys drubbing in the Lok Sabha polls of 2014.
"My talks with Nitish Kumar was more of a personal nature. But, of course, when leaders of two parties meet, a bit of politics is also discussed", Manjhi said when pressed with further queries.
The mercurial leader maintained that his March 31 deadline stands but added that a further course of action would be decided after a workers rally that his party intends to hold at Gandhi Maidan here in May.
The 75-year-old also declared that in the event of his parting ways with the RJD, he would think big and try to build "a much bigger coalition, comprising the Congress, the RLSP, the VIP (all Grand Alliance partners) and other non-NDA parties including the Left".
The Grand Alliance has been in tatters since the Lok Sabha elections last year when it lost but one of the 40 seats in the state.
The once mighty RJD put up its worst-ever performance, drawing a blank. The Congress, which won Kishanganj, was the only non-NDA party to have registered a victory.
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