Manjhi Launches front to 'Expose' Nitish

Patna, Feb 28 (IANS) Nearly a week after he was forced to quit as Bihar's chief minister, Jitan Ram Manjhi Saturday launched a new political front to "expose the real face" of Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

The Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) is being seen as the first step to counter Nitish Kumar and his Janata Dal-United ahead of state elections to be held this year.

"We have decided to launch HAM after marathon meetings and discussions with supporters and sympathisers including former ministers," said Manjhi, expelled from the JD-U before he resigned as chief minister.

Manjhi's supporters mostly belong to Mahadalits -- his caste -- and backward and extreme backward castes.

Manjhi said he and his supporters would "expose the real face of Nitish Kumar and the JD-U".

He said he could work as chief minister for just 12 days out of his nine-month tenure because verbal fights claimed most of his time.

"Though I was chief minister for nine months, I actually worked only for 12 days from Feb 7 to 19," Manjhi said.

Earlier, he said that after becoming the chief minister last year, he had to be "a rubber stamp" for two to three months.

"I used to get a list of transfer and posting of officials from Nitish Kumar on which I had to simply put my signature. I was not even consulted who would be my ministers.

"Then I realised that I shouldn't compromise on the issue of self respect and then from there the problems started," he said.

Nitish Kumar resigned as chief minister following the JD-U's rout in the Lok Sabha election last year.

Manjhi, who was made chief minister in May 2014, resigned Feb 20 this year after a leadership row involving Nitish Kumar.