Kushwaha quits JD(U), floats new party, targets Nitish
PATNA: Rebel senior JD (U) leader and the party’s parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha on Monday announced that he will form his own party as he launched an attack on chief minister Nitish Kumar by accusing him of sacrificing the interest of the party by declaring his deputy and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav as his political successor.
While announcing his resignation from the primary membership of JD (U), Kushwaha told media persons that his new party would be named Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal (RLJD) and said that he would also resign as an MLC. Kushwaha took the decision to snap ties with JD (U) for the third time after a two-day meeting of his supporters and dedicated workers in Sinha Library in Patna.
Although Kushwaha did not name Tejashwi in the press meet, the former’s relationship started souring after Nitish declared on December 13 last year that the grand alliance would contest the 2025 state assembly election under his (Tejashwi’s) leadership.
Luv-Kush combination constitutes nearly 10 per cent of the state’s population. On the possibility of his joining hands with BJP as being claimed by Nitish and senior JD (U) leaders, Kushwaha said, “I have learnt a lot from my elder brother (Nitish).”
Meanwhile, JD (U) president Lalan Singh hit back at Kushwaha by saying he had the habit of changing his party. Singh also extended his well wishes to him and hoped that he would stay with them (BJP) where he intended to go. JD (U) president, however, created a political storm by asserting that the CM face of the grand alliance for the 2025 state assembly election would be decided at that time.
His remark is in contrast to Nitish’s earlier announcement that the grand alliance would contest the election under the leadership of Tejashwi.