Patna Apr 12 (IANS): While Nitish Kumar is on a Delhi visit to unite opposition parties of the country, his alliance partner Jitan Ram Manjhi, the patron of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM), is going to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday.

However, the office of Jitan Ram Manjhi claimed that the purpose of the meeting is not political. He is going to Delhi to meet Amit Shah with a demand for Bharat Ratna for the Mountain Man Dasrath Manjhi, Bihar's first CM Sri Krishna Singh and Karpoori Thakur.

Jitan Ram Manjhi, along with a delegation from Gaya went to Delhi to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The PMO had asked him to meet Amit Shah. As Amit Shah was on a visit to the northeastern states at that time, Manjhi returned to Patna with the delegation.

The delegation comprising 22 persons walked from Gaya to Delhi similar to Dashrath Manjhi earlier to meet the Prime Minister.

Jitan Ram Manjhi is claimed to be the closest alliance partner of Nitish Kumar in Bihar. Since Nitish Kumar met Congress top leaders Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge on Wednesday, sources have said that the office of Amit Shah invited Jitan Ram Manjhi to meet him.

BJP wants strong alliance partners in Bihar to challenge the might of Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad Yadav and if Jitan Ram Manjhi shifts the goal post from Mahagathbandhan to NDA, it will be a big jolt to Nitish Kumar's opposition unity movement.

Jitan Ram Manjhi, however, on several occasions claimed that he will not leave Nitish Kumar's side in his life. Nitish Kumar had made him the Chief Minister of Bihar and Manjhi cannot forget that.