Former Bihar chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi on Sunday said being in the NDA as a junior partner of the BJP and the JD(U) was causing ghutan (suffocation) and he regretted having stepped down in 2015, less than a year after being sworn to the highest seat of power in the State.
Mr. Manjhi, whose Hindustani Awam Morcha has four MLAs in the 243-strong assembly, was also of the view that with proper samanjasya (coordination) "we can make our presence felt in the upcoming legislative council polls when our support will be solicited by our bigger partners".
Mr. Manjhi, whose son Santosh Kumar Suman is a minister in the Nitish Kumar cabinet and has also been anointed as the HAM national president, was addressing the party's national executive.
