'Left for Self-respect, Not Seats': Manjhi on Exit from Grand Alliance Ahead of Bihar Assembly Polls

Former Bihar Chief Minister and Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) president Jitan Ram Manjhi on Tuesday said he left the Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan for self-respect and not seats.

Manjhi left the Grand Alliance on August 20 after its largest constituent Rashtriya Janata Dal refused to form a coordination committee before the upcoming assembly elections in the state.

The HAM chief had presided over a meeting of party leaders on August 20 following which he announced its separation from the Grand Alliance.

“My party (HAM) has left the Grand Alliance only for respect and not for seats. When we fight together under one umbrella, seats are not an issue for us,” Manjhi said.

“We had just one demand… to form a coordination committee before the assembly election. It was our long-standing demand for which I have waited for the last eight months.

“I cannot stay in a place anymore where people do not believe in democracy,” Manjhi said.

Manjhi is one of the most prominent leaders of Dalit and Mahadalit communities in Bihar having 16 per cent voters.

“I will announce the future course of action on August 30,” he said.