Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar is out to destroy me, NDA ally and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha said on Monday, following the reports that legislators of his Rashtriya Lok Samata Party MLAs may switch to JD(U).
Mr. Kushwaha, called on opposition leader Sharad Yadav who had walked out of JD(U) last year. Calling Mr. Yadav as his “marg darshak” or mentor, Mr. Kushwaha said the meeting was merely to discuss the issues related to social justice.
Mr. Kushwaha has threatened to walk out of the National Democratic Alliance if he is not given three Lok Sabha seats in the upcoming parliamentary elections.
“Nitish Kumar has a habit of breaking parties. I do not know why he has come down to destroy Upendra Kushwaha and his party. But no matter what he does he can not harm me,” Mr Kushwaha said.
There are reports that RLSP MLA Sudhanshu Shekhar met newly-appointed JD(U) vice president Prashant Kishor. He, along with another legislator Lalan Paswan. are speculated to switch loyalities to JD(U).
Mr. Kushwaha said the BJP must intercede in this ongoing tussle between him and Mr. Kumar. “We are both in NDA and we are supposed to work together. I do not think Nitishji should do all of this,” he said.
Mr. Kushwaha has also sought a meeting with BJP president Amit Shah to raise the issue.