He wanted his outfit to contest the by-election to the Jehanabad Assembly seat but the BJP requested ruling alliance JD(U) to enter the fray. This apparently hurt him.

Former Bihar Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi on Wednesday declared that he had quit the NDA and would join the RJD-led grand alliance. Mr. Manjhi hit out at the Nitish Kumar-led NDA government in Bihar as “anti-poor”.

“I’m happy to announce that our party has decided to join RJD-led grand alliance as we’re not getting due respect in NDA”, Mr. Manjhi said. .

He said three things compelled him to take this step. “First, about 99% of the people who were arrested under prohibition laws come from poor families; the poor people also suffered as the government put a ban on sand mining in the State and lastly, every day there is talk of a cut in reservation percentage for Scheduled Caste people.”

Mr. Manjhi expressed displeasure over the appointment of new police chief of the State, K.S. Dwivedi. “I’m saying this in a guarded way that the government has appointed a police official as Bihar’s new DGP who was responsible for Bhagalpur riot,” he said.

RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav said the grand alliance had been strengthened with the coming of Mr. Manjhi.