Patna: Protests within the ruling JD(U) over Bihar Chief Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi's controversial remarks that the upper caste people were foreigners intensified today with another legislator seeking removal of Manjhi as CM.
A day after Mokamah JD(U) MLA Anant Singh sought Manjhi removal, another party MLA from Tarari in Bhojpur district Sunil Pandey voiced strong protest against Manjhi's remarks and demanded his immediate removal from the post of chief minister.
JD(U) national leadership have also expressed displeasure over the controversial remarks of Manjhi.
"JD(U) President Sharad Yadav has expressed displeasure over Manjhi comment on upper castes origin," JD(U) General Secretary K C Tyagi told PTI over phone from Delhi.
"Manjhi was chosen to take Nitish Kumar's roadmap of development of Bihar forward...But instead of doing that Manjhi seems more interested in rewriting history by tracing origin of upper castes and condition of wives of armymen who remain out of home for years," Tyagi said.
"He (Manjhi) is no more capable of running government...He shall be removed from the post immediately," Pandey told PTI.
Pandey demanded calling of Legislature party meeting for choosing a new leader in place of Manjhi.
"People had given mandate to Nitish Kumar and not Jitan Ram Manjhi. Hence he shall be removed without any loss of time in view of his irresponsible utterances," he said.
Meanwhile, a case was today filed against Manjhi in a Bettiah district court against his controversial remarks on origin of upper castes.
A social activist Sanjay Kumar Mishra filed a complaint case against Manjhi in the court of Bettiah Chief Judicial Magistrate Raj Kishore Pandey.
The CJM admitted the complaint and referred it to court of First Class Judicial Magistrate R K Rai for hearing which will take place on December 10.
JD(U) MLA from Barbigha Gajanand Shahi also criticised Manjhi's remarks on upper castes.
"Its a unceremonious comment. Such remarks will harm the party," Shahi said.
Animal Husbandry Minister Baidyanath Sahni also took exception to the comment on upper castes origin and said he would draw attention of party senior leader Nitish Kumar to it.
Yesterday JD(U) MLA Anant Singh and Sanjay Jha, former MLC and a close confidant of former Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, had strongly protested Manjhi's controversial remarks at Bagha calling upper caste people as descendants of foreign invaders.
A complaint case against Manjhi over the remarks was filed yesterday at a Rosera court in Samastipur district.
Manjhi's remarks on upper castes have been resented by friendly parties like RJD and Congress.
State Congress President Ashok Chaudhary advised the Chief Minister to be more cautious over choice of words.
"Being head of the government, it's his responsibility to unite the society and not break it by unnecessary utterances," Chaudhary said.
RJD, which like Congress is also supporting Manjhi ministry in the state, also did not take Manjhi's comment positively.
"Everybody born and living in Bihar are son of the soil and there is no point discussing who came when and from where," state RJD chief Ramchandra Purbe said.
He suggested the Chief Minister to desist from giving "controversial" comments.
