Upendra Kushwaha Quits JDU, Launches New Party Amid Tussle With Nitish Kumar

PATNA: In a big setback to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar ahead of the 2024 general elections, Janata Dal-United's National Parliamentary Board president Upendra Kushwaha on Monday resigned from all party positions and formally launched a new political party - Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal - days after his ongoing tussle with party leader Nitish Kumar. Kushwaha made this announcement while addressing a press conference. "A new political inning begins today. Barring a few, everyone in JD(U) was expressing concern...A meeting was held with elected colleagues and a decision was taken...Nitish Kumar did well in the beginning but in the end, the path he started walking is bad for him and Bihar," Kushwaha said.

In order to topple Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) government in Bihar, Kushwaha, who till now headed the party`s national parliamentary board, had earlier convened a two-day meeting of its members starting today.

 

Patna | JD(U)'s National Parliamentary Board President Upendra Kushwaha launches a new party - Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal - after days of tussle with Bihar CM and party leader Nitish Kumar. pic.twitter.com/THwaYsEjVj — ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2023

 

The disgruntled leader further stated that Nitish Kumar is not acting of his own volition but as per suggestions of people around him. "He's unable to act on his own today because he never made an effort to make a successor...Had Nitish Kumar chosen a successor, he needn't have looked at neighbours for one," he said.

 

Bihar | We've decided to form a new party - Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal. This has been decided unanimously. I've been made its national president. The party will take forward the legacy of Karpoori Thakur. We'll work towards rejecting the agreement made with RJD: Upendra Kushwaha pic.twitter.com/7oEiqUhAF1 — ANI (@ANI) February 20, 2023

 

Around 5,000 party leaders from across the state assembled at the venue in his support. With this, Kushwaha has managed to prove his strength before the party and Nitish Kumar. Speculations were rife that the rebel leader would open his cards on Sunday, but he only listened to the speeches of other leaders. Now, his supporters are expecting him to announce his future strategies to take on Kumar.

Upendra Kushwaha and state Chief Minister Nitish Kumar have been at loggerheads ever since the latter announced that Tejashwi Yadav will lead the Mahagathbandhan in the 2025 Assembly election. Opposing the chief minister, Kushwaha said the move would hurt the Lav-Kush (Kurmi is called Lav and Koiri is called Kush or Kushwaha) equation of the state. These two castes are rivals of Yadavs. After the formation of the Mahagathbandhan government, a large chunk of Lav-Kush people is unhappy with Kumar taking Tejashwi Yadav and the RJD`s help. Kushwaha has also been harping on the same.

The stand of Upendra Kushwaha is said to be deeply impacting the CM and his Lav-Kush equation, according to sources.

Kushwaha also accused Kumar of having "pawned" (girvi rakh diya) his political capital, and expressed anguish over having declared Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, whom he did not mention by name, as the future leader. Kushwaha had returned to the JD(U) in March 2021, merging his Rashtriya Lok Samata Party.