PATNA: Union minister and RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha on Friday dismissed reports about a seat-sharing formula of NDA for Bihar that offers only two seats for his party and indicated that he would prefer to be with NDA.
“No meeting of NDA constituents to discuss sharing of seats has taken place so far. I will put forth my party’s demands when a meeting is held,” said Kushwaha a day after an unofficial seat-sharing formula floated by BJP met with shock and disbelief from many RLSP leaders, sparking speculation about the party quitting NDA.
Attributing the reports about RLSP being offered only two seats to vested interests in NDA, he said: “There are some people in NDA who do not want Narendra Modi to become the Prime Minister again. Such people are intentionally spreading rumours to trigger conflicts within NDA”.
Even though he declined to name anyone, RLSP leaders said he was referring to four senior leaders in JD(U) and BJP who did not want RLSP as a part of NDA. Despite his strained relations with Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar, he said that NDA was strengthened after Kumar returned to the alliance last year. Kushwaha had said last month that Nitish Kumar should not be NDA’s CM candidate for Bihar’s Assembly polls slated for 2020.
Instead of uttering a clear ‘No’ when asked if RLSP would join Bihar’s Opposition RJD-led grand alliance if NDA did not offer him enough seats, Kushwaha said: “We are people who make kheer. We are not among those who daydream. We want to make Narendra Modi the Prime Minister once again”.
Asserting that his “kheer” remark was utterly misconstrued “just like some blind men describing an elephant,” Kushwaha said RLSP would launch two social and political programmes – ‘Paigam-e-Kheer’ from September 25 and ‘Dalit Atipichhra Adhikar Sammelan’ (rally for Dalit rights) in October.
“The ‘Paigam-e-Kheer’ programmes would be held in every district of Bihar with the participation of all communities and religions in order to spread the message of social harmony and justice for all,” said Kushwaha.
With September 25 being the birth anniversary of RSS thinker and Bharatiya Jana Sangh founder Deendayal Upadhyay, BJP leaders said RLSP’s proposed programmes indicate his wish to remain in NDA.