PATNA: JD(U) parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha on Tuesday alleged that a conspiracy was hatched to weaken Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, and asked the party national president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh to disclose what deal the party had struck with RJD ahead of the party joining the grand alliance in August last year.
Kushwaha said, “RJD is claiming that it had struck a deal with JD(U) before joining the grand alliance. JD(U) national president and MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh should convene a meeting of the party’s national executive and should disclose what deal some party leaders had struck with RJD. Was there any clause in the deal under which Nitish has to be removed from the post of CM?” Kushwaha’s consistent attack on the party top leadership, including Nitish, only gives credence to the speculation that the former has made up his mind to quit the party.
There is also rumour that Kushwaha may revive his Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) and enter into an alliance with the BJP for the Lok Sabha election in 2024. “Nitish Kumar is continuously being weakened. I will make everything clear before him if he calls me.” he said.
“Why are RJD leaders insisting that their leader (deputy chief minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav) should be sworn in as the CM of the state. Nitish should become cautious as early as possible,” JD(U) parliamentary board chairperson said.
Meanwhile, Kushwaha was not invited to a function organised by JD (U) to mark the birth anniversary of former CM Karpoori Thakur on Tuesday. He was also not invited by the party to a function related to Maharana Pratap Singh organised in Patna on Monday.
Sources said that Kushawaha’s meeting at the party programmes has been stopped on directions of top leadership of the party. Reacting to Kushwaha’s statements, Nitish said, “Do not ask anything from me. Leave the matter. He (Kushwaha) keeps speaking what comes to his mind. Let him speak... No leader from my party will speak about him.” The conflict within JD (U) is likely to increase in days to come as former JD (U) MP RCP Singh sarcastically said, “Nitish’s time is up now.”