Amid crisis with JDU, Kushwaha meets Sharad Yadav; says 'Nitish cannot cause damage to me'

As per sources, RLSP MLAs Lalan Paswan and Sudhanshu Shekhar met top JDU leaders, including its national VP Prashant Kishor and were reportedly offered Sasaram Parliamentary seat and a ministerial berth respectively.

Upendra Kushwaha/ ANI image

New Delhi: Amid reports of Upendra Kushwaha’s RSLP (Rashtriya Lok Samta Party) MLAs joining Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), months ahead of 2019 Lok Sabha elections; Kushwaha on Monday took on JDU chief and said “Nitish Kumar ji has been trying to poach MLAs. He has come down to destroying Upendra Kushwaha and his Party but he cannot cause any damage to me”. He further said that “He is a part of the NDA and so are we; he should not do such things”. The statement comes after Kushwaha held a meeting with Loktantrik Janata Dal party founder Sharad Yadav in the national capital. Yadav had formed the LJD after quitting JDU following Nitish Kumar’s return to NDA in 2016. Their meeting clearly indicates Kushwaha severing all ties with NDA. As per sources, RLSP MLAs Lalan Paswan and Sudhanshu Shekhar met top JDU leaders, including its national VP Prashant Kishor and were reportedly offered Sasaram Parliamentary seat and a ministerial berth respectively. NDA constituents LJP and RLSP made it clear Thursday they want to contest on the same number of seats in the next Lok Sabha election as in 2014. A speculation had been rife that the BJP and the JD(U) could field their candidates on 34 out of the total 40 seats in Bihar, leaving the rest for the Lok Janshakti Party and the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party. The BJP had won 22 seats in Bihar in the 2014 election, while Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP had contested on seven and won six. His colleague Upendra Kushwaha's RLSP had contested and won three seats.