Patna,(BiharTimes): Former Bihar chief minister and leader of Hindustani Awam Morcha, Jitan Ram Manjhi, on Wednesday denied that there is any plan to merge LJP, RLSP and HAM––the three non-BJP constituents of the National Democratic Alliance.

He told mediapersons in Supaul that in fact the meetings of the leaders of these three parties were held (in Vaishali and Patna) to work for further consolidation of the NDA and not to merge LJP, HAM and RLSP.

It needs to be recalled that Manjhi, LJP chief and Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan and his ministerial colleague, Upendra Kushwaha of RLSP met twice last week. The two meetings sparked off speculations in the political circle as no BJP leaders were invited in them.

Manjhi’s statement came less than two days after the LJP secretary general Satyanand Sharma on March 29 dropped enough hint about the merger of the three parties.

Manjhi instead said that strategy is being worked out to strengthen NDA and there is no talk whatsever of merger.

The HAM leaders statement suggests that there is differences among the leaders of the three parties on the issue of merger.

Political observers are of the view that while Ram Vilas and Kushwaha are ministers and can go to some extent to bargain their position, Manjhi is not in position to take any tough stand against the BJP as he is in political wilderness.