Differences in NDA over human chain as Manjhi’s HAM to stay away
Patna,(BiharTimes): A day after Bihar BJP chief Nityanand Rai said that his party would take part in the January 21 human chain its alliance partner Hindustani Awam Morcha on Wednesday announced that it would stay away from it in protest against the Draconian provisions in the new excise law.
The party president and former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, while talking to the media in Gaya, said that he strongly disagrees with the BJP on this issue as there is Talibani provision in the new excise policy.
He said that over 20,000 people are in jail due to the Draconian provision of the law. “Barring a handul they are all poor,” he said.
HAM leader said that he opposed the provision which says that all the family members can be arrested if liquor is found in anyone’s house.
The HAM appears to be upset over the BJP’s announcement made a day earlier in which its state president Nityanand Rai said that his party would take part in the human chain.
Party insiders feel that the BJP did not ake other NDA partners into confidence before making the announcement. The truth is that the Bihar BJP leaders too were critical of the excise policy but had to change its stand after prime minister Narendra Modi publicly endorsed it in Patna on Jan 5 last.
