Stop rowing in two boats: Chirag Paswan

PATNA: Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) parliamentary board chairman and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan on Monday launched a scathing attack on RLSP chief and Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, asking him to make it clear whether he wants to remain in the NDA or not. “The RLSP chief should stop rowing in two boats,” Chirag said.
Accusing Kushwaha of playing pressure politics, Chirag said the RLSP chief should not make provocative statements against JD (U) national president and Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.

“The way Kushwaha is giving ultimatum to the BJP and playing pressure politics, it seems he does not want to remain in the NDA. If he has issues with the NDA, he should resolve them through mutual talks with alliance partners,” Chirag told reporters here.

Kushwaha has been demanding at least three Lok Sabha seats in Bihar from the BJP. There are, however, speculations that his party would be offered only two seats.

Kushwaha has also been demanding an apology from Nitish over his alleged ‘neech’ remark against him. Though Nitish has rejected the charge, Kushwaha has been raking up the issue every now and then.

Meanwhile, Chirag’s cautionary remark against Kushwaha means that the junior education minister is almost marooned in the NDA in his tussle against the JD (U). Kushwaha has given November 30 deadline to the BJP to finalise seat-sharing in Bihar for the next year’s Lok Sabha election.

Opposition RJD is also not sounding serious in welcoming Kushwaha to the Grand Alliance fold. Even if Kushwaha quits the NDA, his association with Lalu’s party is unlikely to satisfy his inner desire to become CM due to the presence of Tejashwi Prasad Yadav.

The LJP, on the other hand, had contested seven Lok Sabha seats in Bihar in 2014 and won six. The party has been demanding same number of seats this time as well.