PATNA: In a season of new alliances in Bihar, the Upendra Kushwaha-led RLSP on Tuesday allied with two other regional parties — the BSP and Janvadi Party (Socialist). Kushwaha said he would announce the name of the alliance soon.
This is the fifth political alliance after the NDA, Grand Alliance, UDSA (Owaisi) and the Pappu Yadav-led Progressive Democratic Alliance in the state where three-phase polls begin from October 28.
Kushwaha accused the Lalu Prasad-led RJD of sharing a tacit political agenda with the BJP.
“It is common belief that the BJP is directly or indirectly influencing RJD’s decision-making in the same way as it is creating a rift between the JD-U and the LJP”, Kushwaha said, urging the like-minded parties in the ruling NDA and the opposition Mahagathbandhan to join hands with his alliance.
Upendra Kushwaha claims to represent those belonging to his Kushwaha community, an extremely backward caste, which forms around 8% of the state’s population.
He blamed JD-U chief Nitish Kumar for the “chaos” in the state in the last 15 years by making governance subservient to the bureaucracy.
“Nitish Kumar has ruined the state more than what Lalu-Rabri did in their 15-year rule.
The RLSP believes by forging a new alliance rather than going with the opposition would throw up a new bold alternative before the people,” he said, adding Nitish Kumar and Tejashawi Yadav of RJD are the two faces of the same coin.
Kushwaha said he had requested the RJD to change its leader at the top “because the people don’t accept the leadership of Tejashawi Yadav, who is not even a matriculate”.
He said the people should be cautious with both RJD and BJP.
Targeting Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Kushwaha said law and order had deteriorated in the state.
Accompanied by state BSP chief Ramji Singh Gautam and Janvadi Party (Socialist) national leader Sanjay S. Chauhan, Kushwaha announced fielding candidates for all 243 seats.
“I invite Chirag Paswan and others, who wish true development of Bihar, to our alliance,” he said.