Jitan Ram Manjhi blames RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, Amit Shah for Bihar poll debacle

Patna: Former chief minister and HAM president Jitan Ram Manjhi on Monday blamed RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and BJP president Amit Shah for the debacle of the BJP-led alliance in Bihar.

"Bhagwat's statement on review of reservation for Dalits and OBCs harmed the NDA's prospects as it was made one of the main issues by the Grand Alliance," Manjhi told the media here.

Manjhi said the issue of reservation in educational institutions and in jobs badly affected the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

He said Shah's statement that firecrackers would be burst in Pakistan if the BJP lost the Bihar assembly polls also played a major role in the NDA's defeat. "The statement only helped the Grand Alliance."

Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha contested from 20 seats but won only one seat.

The party's sole victor was Manjhi himself. He won from Imamganj in Gaya, his home district.