'Dog' remark controversy: HAM(S) undecided on future course of action

PATNA/GAYA: Having upped the ante on the controversy generated by Union minister VK Singh's statement comparing the killing of Dalits in Haryana with stone pelting on stray dogs, former chief minister and HAM(S) leader Jitan Ram Manjhi is undecided on the party's future strategy to control the damage caused by the remark.
Manjhi, on Friday, while condemning Singh's statement at his village in Mahkar, asked PM Modi to take up the issue with due seriousness and take appropriate action to deter others from making loud mouthed and irresponsible statements.Though Manjhi did not specify the action against Singh, sources close to Manjhi say that the ex-CM would not be satisfied with anything less than Singh's removal from the council of ministers.
Asked about the party's future course of action in case no action was taken against Singh, Danish Rizwan, spokesperson of the Manjhi-led party said that the party was not satisfied with the clarification/apology made by Singh. The HAM(S) spokesperson said that the party leadership will take a call in the matter in case Singh was allowed to go scot free. Rizwan, made it clear that Singh's statement was highly offensive and reflective of the mentality that discriminated against the under-privileged.
Political observers are of the view that though Singh's controversial statement has damaged NDA as a whole, it has caused more damage to the Dalit allies of the BJP viz Ram Bilas Paswan's LJP and Jitan Ram Manjhi's HAM(S) and perhaps it was for that reason that Manjhi reacted that sharply.
According to Prem Kumar Mani, the Patna based writer-activist and a former member of the Bihar Legislative Council, the damage to Paswan and Manjhi has already been done and if the BJP does not take tangible action against Singh, both LJP and HAM would find it difficult to sell NDA in the electoral market as, Dalits, by and large have been very sensitive to issues concerning their social standing.
Besides, Singh's controversial statement, HAM(S) has also distanced itself from the beef-ban issue. Party official spokesperson is on record having said that cow slaughter was already banned in the state and there was no need to tinker with the existing law.
Party spokesperson Danish Rizwan, earlier told TOI that beef ban was not on the agenda of NDA or even BJP for that matter. It was Sushil Modi's agenda and not that of NDA or BJP, said Danish.