The pressure is continuously mounting on RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav to form a coordination committee within the Mahagathbandhan (MGB) to elect a CM candidate and lay future strategy. HAM president Jeetan Ram Manjhi has given a deadline of 25 June to Tejashwi Yadav to form the coordination committee failing which, “we will be free to make our decision”, he said
All is not well within the MGB and the demand for a coordination committee was made ahead of Bihar elections. Danish Rizwan, spokesperson of HAM, talking to The Daily Guardian, said, “The demand for a coordination committee within MGB was made long back and no thought has been given on it by the RJD. The other constituents of MGB like VIP, RLSP and even Congress believe that coordination committee is needed. But RJD has not tried to establish any communication with us after the Lok Sabha polls. If they don’t put their act together, there will be a repeat of the Lok Sabha polls debacle.”
Parties like HAM, RLSP and VIP are feeling left out, and so is the Congress, as the RJD is not reaching out and involving them in common programmes. Leaders within the HAM are keeping their options open. “We may go along with the NDA or may join hands with Asaduddin Owaisi and Pappu Yadav and the left parties to form a third front,” said a senior leader of HAM on condition of anonymity. The party does not want to show its cards yet. But these smaller parties are feeling alienated as they were not consulted on any of the programmes chalked out by the RJD leader.
When posed with the question of Tejashwi Yadav’s acceptability as the CM candidate within MGB, Manjhi said, “That decision has been taken by the RJD and not by the MGB. Let there be a meeting of the coordination committee first.” He also indicated that much has changed for the RJD in the emerging political scenario. “They are no longer the sole claimant of the M-Y (Muslim-Yadav) votes in the state. The situation is different than what it was during Lalu›s times,” Manjhi added, making it loud and clear the RJD cannot indulge in armtwisting of smaller parties within the MGB.
There has been no reaction from the RJD after Manjhi’s ultimatum.