Manjhi-led HAM plunges into crisis; Bihar party president, spokesman resigns

Bihar president Brishin Patel and national spokesperson Danish Rizwan resigned from their respective posts trading charges against each other.

Former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha plunged into a crisis on Wednesday when its state president Brishin Patel and national spokesperson Danish Rizwan resigned from their respective posts trading charges against each other.

HAM party president Patel had also strongly criticized Rizwan’s utterances on Rahul Gandhi’s rally and had demanded action against him. (Hindustan Times)

HAM is a part of Grand Alliance in Bihar.

The resignation of state president Patel, a former Bihar minister, came minutes after Rizwan tendered his resignation after he accused Patel of misusing party funds.

The party spokesperson had earned the ire of party’s senior leader after he had termed Rahul Gandhi’s Patna rally, as a flop and urged the HAM leader to reconsider alliance with the Congress claiming that poor turnout and mismanagement reflected poorly on the state of affairs in that party. Party’s national president Manjhi, too, had attended the rally.

Party president Patel had also strongly criticized Rizwan’s utterances on Rahul Gandhi’s rally and had demanded action against him.

In his resignation letter, addressed to Manjhi, Rizwan, however, made no mention of the Congress rally episode. “In last couple of days, Patel along with his supporters have been indulging in anti-party activities and have been looting party money, which is not fair” said Rizwan in his letter. “I consider HAM as my home and cannot remain a mute spectator to the state president eating it up like termite. So I am resigning from the primary membership of party as well,” he added.

Patel, however, rubbished the allegations of Rizwan claiming he has resigned anticipating that axe may fall on him as Manjhi has taken a serious view of his indiscipline. He has also issued statements indicating that he was ready to join the NDA at its rally on March 3 which Prime Minister Narendra Modi is likely to address.

Patel, however said that his resignation has nothing to do with Rizwan’s allegations but he was quitting HAM as he was upset with Manjhi stand on dharna by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee. “Manjhi criticsm of dharna was against grand alliance line, and his failure to take action against the national spokesman, who was hobnobbing with the NDA,” he said.

Manjhi had on Tuesday said Banerjees dharna was unbecoming of a chief minister though he had added that he did not disagree with the TMC chiefs contention that the CBI was being misused to settle political scores.

Manjhi, was unavailable for comments.