PATNA: The HAM(S) caused ripples in the state political circles on Monday after its president and former CM Jitan Ram Manjhi demanded a judicial inquiry into the death of Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
Manjhi also raised doubts over the LJP chief Chirag Paswan’s role. “I request the Prime Minister to order a judicial probe into the death of Ram Vilas Paswan to unravel the dubious role of Chirag Paswan in the matter,” Manjhi told PTI.
Reacting over the development, Chirag claimed it was “a plot hatched by CM Nitish Kumar” to defame him when the assembly election was under way in the state.
Talking to mediapersons, Chirag accused Nitish of “scripting a plot to settle political scores with him” and asking the HAM-S to rake up an emotional issue to blunt the LJP's campaign to prevent him from becoming the CM once again.
HAM(S) national spokesman Danish Rizwan also wrote a letter to PM Modi on Monday, supporting Manjhi’s demand. TOI has a copy of Rizwan’s letter.
Rizwan also demanded a judicial probe into Paswan’s death on the basis of a video of Chirag rehearsing a day after the death of his father where he was purportedly seen joking with the people present and even talking about his hairstyle.
Rizwan, in his letter, wanted to know as to who ordered the hospital to not issue regular health bulletins of “such a big leader” like Paswan. Rizwan also claimed people were prevented from meeting the senior Paswan when he was hospitalized in Delhi. Chirag had informed people about the death of his father through a tweet on October 8.
“When Manjhi telephoned me, my father was in hospital. I told him everything. He neither called me again nor visited Papa in the hospital,” Chirag told mediapersons in Patna on Monday.
(With inputs from agencies)