Patna: He’s known to shoot off his mouth but this time Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi has outdone himself. Speaking exclusively to the India Today Group, Manjhi has said, ‘Only 2-5 per cent men go on outings with their wives. Others go out on dates with other men’s wives. There is nothing wrong in having a girlfriend. If you go to Patna’s Eco Park it’s not only unmarried people who are hanging out together.
If both the man and the woman are adults and their relationship is consensual, there is nothing wrong in having an affair. This personal choice of Manjhi made this comment in the context of his own son being caught having an affair with married police woman in August 2014.
Jitan Ram Manjhi, whose Facebook status as Bihar CM, would probably read ‘It’s complicated’, was in Delhi for meetings with senior BJP leaders. Manjhi’s trip to Delhi follows a show of strength by Nitish Kumar, during which the former CM paraded 130 MLAs in the capital. But Manjhi alleges that many of those who were part of Nitish’s delegation were ‘bogus MLAs.’ ‘Nitish claims to have brought 130 MLAs to Delhi. But 30 of those were not even MLAs. They were chairmen of various state boards and commissions.’
The CM also dropped hints about his future course of action. For the first time, Manjhi publically admitted to being in talks with the BJP leadership. ‘Till 20 February I’m going nowhere. After that circumstances can change and I will take a decision on the basis of the altered circumstances. I’m not ruling anything in or out. You can’t say where you will be two hours from now so how can I say where I will be next week.’
Manjhi had been handpicked by Nitish to replace him when Nitish stepped down from the CM’s post. But today the protege has turned against his mentor. ‘Instead of launching a public attack against me, I wish Nitish Kumar had told me in person what my fault was. If only he had spoken to me, explained my mistakes, I would have stepped down myself. Instead he got his spokespersons to launch personal attacks against me. I was very hurt when he did this.’
Manjhi in Hindi means boatsman. When asked if he would be the Manjhi who would sink the JDU’s boat, Manjhi turned philosophical. ‘The Manjhi never sinks the boat. No matter how strong the current is, the Manjhi always manages to steer the boat to the shore.’
Bureau Report
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