Governorship plus LS ticket for son likely in store for Manjhi as he weighs joining NDA

Jitan Ram Manjhi, the mercurial Dalit leader who pulled his party out of Bihar’s mahagathbandhan on Tuesday, is being wooed to join the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance ahead of the 2024 general election, with party sources saying that he is being offered a Governor’s position for himself, as well as a Lok Sabha ticket for his son. Coming out of the CM’s residence, a visibly elated Mr. Sada slammed Mr. Manjhi for “destroying the Dalit community of the State”. However, an unfazed Mr. Manjhi reiterated on Wednesday that he had come out of the alliance with Mr. Kumar as it was a question of his party’s very “existence”, adding, “And when I chose to come out of the alliance with Mr Kumar, I’m out of mahagathbandhan as well.” According to party sources, Mr. Manjhi has called for his party’s executive committee to meet on June 18, ahead of an all-party meeting of non-BJP leaders, slated to be held in Patna on June 23. Anti-Hindutva history Interestingly, Mr. Manjhi has previously lashed out at the BJP’s Hindutva politics, saying that Lord Rama was an “imaginary” figure, not a historical one. “I don’t consider epic Ramayana to be a true story, nor do I think Lord Rama was a great man or a historical figure,” said Mr. Manjhi, also slamming upper caste communities — the BJP’s traditional support base — as “foreigners and descendants of Aryan invaders”.