Bihar: JD(U)'s Upendra Kushwaha Dismisses 'Baseless' Rumours Of Joining BJP
Kushwaha stated that he felt "a post-mortem was being conducted on me while I was still alive" when rumours circulated that he was preparing to jump ship.
Janata Dal-United (JD-U) National Parliamentary Board Chief Upendra Kushwaha on Sunday dismissed the rumours about him joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and stated that the accusations were 'baseless'.
Kushwaha, who was visited by some BJP leaders at AIIMS in the national capital after being admitted for a check-up, stated unequivocally that he will "never become a member" of the saffron party.
"Meeting BJP leaders does not imply that I will join the party. The more powerful our party's leader, the more he interacts with BJP officials "Kushwaha was quoted as saying by the news agency ANI.
"These are baseless rumours. I met people in the hospital, no need to politicise it, " he explained.
Kushwaha stated that he felt "a post-mortem was being conducted on me while I was still alive" when rumours circulated that he was preparing to jump ship, PTI reported.
In addition, earlier this month, JD-U MLC Sanjay Singh disseminated posters throughout Patna that omitted Upendra Kushwaha's image.
The posters included CM Nitish Kumar, party national President Lalan Singh, state ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Ashok Chaudhary, Sanjay Jha, Lesi Singh, and Sumit Singh, as well as other senior JD-U officials excluding Kushwaha.
The Present Nitish-Kushwaha Equation:
Earlier on Saturday, in response to rumours about Upendra Kushwaha's apparent ties to the BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar stated that he will meet with Kushwaha to resolve the matter.
"Please ask Upendra Kushwaha to talk to me. He left the party earlier too, I don't know what he wants. I was not in Patna so I'm not aware of it. He is currently unwell, I'll meet him and discuss this," Nitish Kumar made the remarks during his Samadhan Yatra in Gaya.
In response to Nish Kumar's announcement that he was leaving the party, Kushwaha stated, "Our party has also joined hands with the BJP and severed connections." "My only concern as a JD-U member is that the party is becoming weaker. I'll keep working to improve it and will do so in the future," Kushwaha explained, as stated in a PTI report.
Kushwaha, an ardent supporter of Mandal politics, was appointed by Kumar as leader of the opposition in the state assembly while Bihar was still dominated by the RJD-Congress alliance.
Kushwaha, a man with lofty goals, annoyed Kumar on more than one occasion, resulting in his suspension from the party on both occasions.
In the aftermath of the JD(U)'s in the 2020 assembly elections, which has been blamed on a "BJP conspiracy," the mentor recruited the protege back into the party in 2021 with the goal of consolidating the Koeri-Kurmi base.
"Everyone in the party agrees in private that the JD(U) has weakened and needs to hold itself together," Kushwaha had said, the report said.
(With Inputs From Agencies)
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