Bihar: Amid Rift With CM Nitish Kumar, Upendra Kushwaha Says He Won't Leave JD(U), But. . .

A day after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar asked disgruntled party leader Upendra Kushwaha to leave the Janata Dal (United), the latter issued a press statement saying he won’t leave the party at any cost.

Upendra Kushwaha is a Member of Legislative Assembly and the national parliamentary board chairman of JD(U). He has been unhappy with the JD(U)-RJD alliance, and not being awarded a co-deputy Chief Minister post.

Talks of Kushwaha leaving the JD(U) to either join the BJP or restart Rashtriya Lok Samata Party in the coming days have been doing the rounds for the last two months.

Speaking to the press today, Kushwaha alleged that Kumar has not called him in the last two years. He reinstated his demand for making public the ‘deal’ struck between RJD and the JD(U) in August 2021.

He further said that he won’t leave the JD(U) even if the CM or anyone else asks him to. “For the last few days, some things are being said about me and CM has also encouraged those talks. Some are saying there has been a deal with RJD… I reiterate my demand to hold a national executive meeting of the party,” he said.

Nitish and Kushwaha have been exchanging remarks for the last few days, with Nitish asking Kushwaha to quit the JD(U). Fellow JD(U) leader Umesh Kushwaha too alleged that he is trying to break the party.

Kushwaha retorted by saying he could not leave the party without his share in the “paternal property”.