Politics
"Don't Ask Me About Him", Says Nitish Kumar As Speculations Of Upendra Kushwaha's Exit From JD(U) Grow
Swarajya Staff
Jan 25, 2023, 04:31 PM | Updated 04:31 PM IST
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
The rift between Nitish Kumar and Upendra Kushwaha seems to have resurfaced in Bihar, with speculations about the latter leaving Janata Dal (United).
The Bihar Chief Minister, when prodded over the issue, said “Don’t ask me about him.”
Upendra Kushwaha is a prominent leader in Bihar and the national parliamentary board chairman of JD(U). Kushwaha is seen as Nitish’s protégé, and both share a common Koeri-Kurmi voter base in Bihar.
Although he has shared a long love-hate relationship with the JD(U) and Nitish Kumar, having left and rejoined the party twice. Most recently, his Rashtriya Lok Samata Party rejoined JD(U) in 2021.
Kushwaha has been ‘unhappy’ with the alliance ever since JD(U) broke off with BJP and rejoined hands with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in August 2021.
Kushwaha was expecting a prominent role in the Bihar cabinet but felt sidelined after RJD leader Tejaswi Yadav was assigned the Deputy Chief Minister post, and later named the Chief Ministerial candidate for the 2025 polls.
Talks about Kushwaha planning to leave JD(U) once again to join Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) surfaced after several BJP leaders visited him in Delhi while he was at the AIIMS for medical treatment.
Days later, Kushwaha called these ‘baseless rumuors’ and told the press, “I am in JD(U), JD(U) is getting weaker but I will keep working to strengthen it”. He later added that “big leaders in JD(U) are maintaining deep contacts with those in BJP”.
Kushwaha too was snubbed by the party when he was not invited to a function attended by the chief minister and other prominent JD(U) leaders.
Nitish dismissed Kushwaha’s remarks at the function as “not worth taking note” and said, “the one who himself wants to get in touch is making such allegations,” without taking Kushwaha’s name.
Save & read from anywhere!
Bookmark stories for easy access on any device or the Swarajya app.
Support Swarajya's 50 Ground Reports Project & Sponsor A Story
Every general election Swarajya does a 50 ground reports project.
Aimed only at serious readers and those who appreciate the nuances of political undercurrents, the project provides a sense of India's electoral landscape. As you know, these reports are produced after considerable investment of travel, time and effort on the ground.
This time too we've kicked off the project in style and have covered over 30 constituencies already. If you're someone who appreciates such work and have enjoyed our coverage please consider sponsoring a ground report for just Rs 2999 to Rs 19,999 - it goes a long way in helping us produce more quality reportage.
You can also back this project by becoming a subscriber for as little as Rs 999 - so do click on this links and choose a plan that suits you and back us.
Click below to contribute.