Will RLSP split from NDA? Upendra Kushwaha to make announce

According to sources, Kushwaha also likely to put in his papers as the Union minister.

PATNA: Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha will declare whether his party will continue in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) alliance at a public meeting in Motihari on Thursday.

According to sources, RLSP is expected to walk out of the alliance and Kushwaha also likely to put in his papers as the Union minister.

"That (Kushwaha's resignation) is just a formality which would be completed once he visits the national capital and meets the prime minister," the leader said on condition of anonymity, reported PTI.  Kushwaha is the Minister of State for HRD in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) at the Centre.

The decision of pulling out of NDA was taken at ‘Chintan Shivir’, key meeting of RLSP leaders on December 4 and 5 at Valmikinagar in West Champaran district.

A senior RLSP leader told IANS that almost all party leaders and workers have spoken against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar`s Janata Dal-United (JD-U) and the Bihar unit of BJP led by Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Modi, and suggested pulling out of the NDA.

"I will again sit with the party leaders on Wednesday night to discuss this issue before I announce the party`s decision on Thursday in Motihari," Kushwaha had earlier said.

On Wednesday, the party hit out at the Narendra Mod-led government and the Nitish Kumar regime in Bihar. In a strongly-worded, four-page resolution, the RLSP said "we are not opposed to construction of mosques and temples. But this is not the function of political parties and their meddling in such matters causes tensions in the society and diverts the attention of the public from real issues". It also expressed grave concern over many objectionable and unnecessary decisions taken by the BJP and the central government in the recent past.

Kushwaha said the national leadership of the BJP and the BJP leadership in Bihar are different. "In Bihar, it has become a B team of Nitish Kumar`s JD-U," he said.

RLSP had earlier said that their association with the NDA which includes BJP and Ram Vilas Paswan's LJP, date back to 2014. Whereas Nitish Kumar's JD(U) returned to the coalition in 2017 and had no alliance with RLSP.

Last month, Kushwaha had said that the RLSP has decided to reject the seat-sharing arrangement worked out by the BJP, though he did not divulge the number of seats offered to his party.

The party's future course of action was not clear even though the grand alliance constituents RJD, Congress and HAM have been wooing Kushwaha for long. 

While the future course of action has not been clarified, Kushwaha has been in talks with former JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav who has formed his own party. Speculation is that two small parties are toying with the idea of a merger.

Kushwaha is also being wooed by the former grand alliance members RJD, Congress and HAM.