JD-U may oust Manjhi as Bihar chief minister

Patna:Speculation is rife in Bihar’s political circles over the possible ouster of Jitan Ram Manjhi as the chief minister after he said his days in the office are numbered.
The speculation gained strength a day after Manjhi said his days in office were numbered as his detractors in the party were making every effort to remove him from the chief minister’s post.
Manjhi said: “I know efforts are on to remove me, I may or may not continue till November end.”
Manjhi, who belongs to the economically backward Mahadalit community, is known for his controversial remarks. Hours after Manjhi’s comment Sunday, former chief minister Nitish Kumar and Janata Dal-United (JD-U) president Sharad Yadav discussed for nearly two hours about political heat generated by Manjhi’s controversial remarks in the past few days. Nitish Kumar, how-ever, refused to comment  Monday on Manjhi’s likely removal.
A powerful group of JD-U leaders has been lobbying to remove Manjhi and reinstate Nitish Kumar as the chief minister. “A decision might be taken by the end of this month,” a JD-U leader said.(IANS)