RJD, Congress ask Upendra Kushwaha to join Grand Alliance

PATNA: Even as the RJD and Congress on Wednesday asked Upendra Kushwaha to quit NDA and join the Grand Alliance (GA), the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and Union minister also got an unlikely admirer in Jehanabad MP Arun Kumar who had earlier quit RLSP and formed Rashtriya Samata Party (Secular).

“It is quite clear that Kushwaha is not comfortable in NDA. If he decides to join us, he is welcome,” RJD national vice-president and former Rajya Sabha member Shivanand Tiwari said, adding Kushwaha ought to decide quickly on quitting NDA.

Congress national media panelist Prem Chandra Mishra (MLC) also said Kushwaha should take the decision quickly on walking out of NDA.

The GA has currently three major constituents – RJD, Congress and Hindustani Awam Morcha (secular). However, the GA like the NDA faces infighting of sorts over seat sharing.

Meanwhile, RSP (Secular) chief Arun Kumar defended Kushwaha’s fight against CM Nitish Kumar for allegedly calling him ‘neech’. “What Nitish said against Kushwaha shows his feudal mentality. He should apologise,” Arun said.

The Jehanabad MP also said police should not have resorted to lathicharge against the Kushwaha caste protesters who had taken out a procession in Patna against the use of word ‘neech’. “The protesters were not criminals. They did not carry weapons. Nor were they Naxals. Bihar has become a terror state,” he said.

Incidentally, Arun has also moved closer to GA and hopes to contest the 2019 parliamentary election as its partner. It has not yet been decided whether he will contest from Jehanabad or another constituency.