Patna (Bihar): Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Saturday took a pot-shot on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and said that when his party (Hindustani Awam Morcha) separated in 2015, he raised doubts about how he would run the party without any funds.
He also emphasised that now his party is not only functioning but is running at great speed.
"I want to thank Nitish Kumar ji, when we separated in 2001 and formed the party he raised doubts- 'Jitan Manjhi se party chalegi? Na paisa hain na kuch'. How will he run the party? Today, I can say with pride that our party is not only functioning but is running at great speed. And you people are behind this, that is why I congratulate you too," Mr Manjhi said.
Jitan Ram Manjhi, in 2015, parted ways with the Janata Dal (United) along with 18 others and formed his own party, Hindustani Awam Morcha, during the 2015 Bihar political crisis.
In the current political scenario, HAM is a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the centre and Bihar. The party's head, Jitan Ram Manjhi is a Minister in Prime Minister Modi's cabinet.
Earlier, amid the opposition attack on Nitish Kumar over a series of bridge collapses in Bihar, Mr Manjhi defended the latter, saying that the unusually heavy monsoon rains were the primary cause of the incidents.
"It is monsoon time. There has been an abnormal amount of rain, which is the reason behind the collapse of bridges. But the Chief Minister of the state is very sensitive towards the investigation," Mr Manjhi told reporters.
Five bridges in Araria, Siwan, East Champaran, Kishanganj, and Madhubani districts collapsed across the state in June last month.
The first in the series was the bridge collapse in Araria on June 18.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)