Patna, Feb. 6: Nitish Kumar was a picture of relaxed calm amid the JDU's tumultous decision to ease out Jitan Ram Manjhi as chief minister.

There was hectic activity all around, as JDU managers tried to keep the flock together, Manjhi fired on the JDU leadership and the BJP strategised how to use the situation in its favour.

'I feel like getting more freedom to focus on our larger battle...the battle to objectively expose the fraud on the part of the kattarvadi (fundamentalist) forces (read Narendra Modi-led order),' Nitish said, while unwinding under the balmy winter sun at the roof of his 7 Circular Road house with a couple of close friends.

While the JDU boss, Sharad Yadav, state party chief Bashishtha Narayan Singh and party secretary general K.C. Tyagi were busy calling the MLAs and interacting with them for tomorrow's crucial legislature party meet, Nitish, did not seem bogged down by Manjhi. He looked like drawing a bigger picture rather than getting bogged down in the exercise of finding a new chief minister to replace Manjhi, whom he has virtually disowned.

'There are three possibilities. First, the CM (Manjhi) has lost the confidence of the party legislatures and as such he will have to make way for a new leader. If he does not do so, he will have to depend on the BJP's 'machination' to continue him as the CM by hook or by crook. Third, the governor in case of assessing that no party was in a position to form a government might dissolve the House and recommend President's rule in the state,' he analysed.

'The JDU will come out stronger and winner in all the cases,' Nitish said, adding: 'In fact, if Jitan Manjhi demits office and passes on the baton to me that will be more challenging. We will have to undo the mess of governance that he (Manjhi) has created in seven-eight months and then re-build the credential from the scratch within a short period of time ahead of the polls.'

It would be 'better' in the JDU's interest if the BJP indulges in the 'machination' to keep him (Manjhi) saddled.

An aide to Nitish explained: 'The BJP can never get the two-third of the JDU's 111 legislators to execute a legitimate split in the party. Still if the BJP props Manjhi up it will be an illegitimate government in the House always prone to facing criticism from the constitutional experts.'

If Manjhi resigns and proposes to be caretaker CM, a source close to Nitish said: 'The budget has not been passed and the government has no budget to run the government after March 31. A caretaker CM cannot present the budget. In that case, the President's rule will be imposed and the budget would have to be passed by the Parliament.'

Contrary to the BJP leader's repeated allegation that Nitish was trying hard to replace Manjhi as the CM, Nitish did not appear too much interested. 'It is time for the BJP to fish in the troubled waters that it always does. I have got more freedom to rebuild the organisation and awaken the people against the BJP's top layer communalising the society and spreading falsehood in it,' he said.

Nitish was not repentant at all on making Manjhi the CM.

'My party and I have all along committed to the cause of growth with justice. Jitan Manjhi came naturally in my mind when I resigned as the CM. I discussed it with Sharadji (Sharad Yadav), RCP Singh, Bashishtha bhai (Bashishtha Narayan Singh) and Lallan Singh. They all appreciated my idea. I then called Manjhi and offered him my chair,' he said: 'I did not do it as a part of any petty politics. I did it out of my commitment to empower the people at the lowest rung of our society.'