Upendra Kushwaha interview: ‘Nitish’s move to project Tejashwi as Bihar’s future leader signals JD(U)’s end’

What are the reasons behind a senior leader like you taking on the top leadership including Nitish Kumar?

It is not very difficult to answer why I have been asking my own party some tough questions. When I merged the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) with the JD(U) in March 2021, the JD(U) was part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA). It later became a part of a new alliance called Mahagathbandhan (with the RJD) and I still did not have any issues. But concerns arose when there were talks of some “deal” between the two.

The CM further complicated the matter by projecting Tejashwi Prasad Yadav as the future leader of Bihar. JD(U) workers and supporters also started getting wary of their party’s future. The talks about a JD(U) and RJD merger made the matters worse. I would not have agreed to Tejashwi’s leadership had the matter been discussed with me.

Are you concerned about the growth of your political career in the JD(U) after Tejashwi’s projection as the Bihar leader?

It is not about Upendra Kushwaha as an individual. I am pretty happy with being a primary member of the party. There is nothing wrong in the JD(U) aligning with the RJD. However, projecting Tejashwi as the future leader signals the end of the JD(U). The JD(U) is not a party of certain individuals.

Sharad Yadav led it before it merged with the Samata Party, which was formed by George Fernandes and later nurtured by leaders like Nitish Kumar. Several workers like us also contributed to the JD(U)’s growth.

I first raised these issues at a meeting with CM (Nitish) in the third week of December. I took up the loss of our party in the Kurhani bypoll and reasoned that the vote share in the last three bypolls was not on expected lines.

Nitish Kumar brought Bihar back from the bad, old days – handing over the (state’s) reins to the family that was responsible for it cannot be accepted.

Did you also question Nitish about why he projected Tejashwi as the CM candidate so early? How did he react?

I took up that matter as well. But he said something I cannot say here. One thing I can say for sure is that he looked like he was under some kind of pressure from the RJD. But such a decision cannot be taken unilaterally. After all, RJD state president (Jagdanand Singh) went on record to suggest that Nitish Kumar quit the Bihar chair for the RJD leader (Tejashwi).

He virtually dismissed all my arguments on the party getting weaker… I was dismayed.

Several JD(U) leaders call you “overambitious” and a “turncoat”. They want you to leave the party as soon as possible. Your reaction?

It is not a question of an individual or his ambition. I am not getting perturbed with what top JD(U) leaders, including the CM, have been saying about me. I have not done any anti-party activity that warrants disciplinary action. I am still trying to strengthen the party. A political party cannot survive without its base vote. Whether it is the OBCs and the Luv-Kush (Kurmi-Koeri) segment, Economically Backward Castes (EBCs) or the Mahadalits – the carefully nurtured bases of Nitish Kumar are slowly dismantling.

The 2020 Assembly election results showed it as much. The recent by-polls results made it clear that we are losing ground. The BJP is gaining momentum at our expense. I am going public with this because Nitish Kumar did not suggest a way out or discuss it. I want party workers to take it up.

How do you react to the allegations of you having a backroom deal with the BJP to revive the RLSP?

In fact, I doubt if Nitish Kumar has a deal with the BJP. Nitish may speak about not aligning with BJP ever, but some people have been talking about him taking a U-turn. As for me, I am still trying to strengthen the party by involving base-level party workers in the coming days.

How do you react to party chief Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan) Singh saying that you are no longer the chairman of the JD(U)’s parliamentary board?

My experience with the post showed all along that it was merely of ceremonial value. What Lalan Singh has been saying now only proves my point. The post is nothing more than a jhunjhuna (child rattle). I also kept saying that I was treated well in the JD(U) and was made to sit in the pavilion. There was no attempt to create a second-rung of the party.

What’s next? Will you form a party and ally with the BJP in the 2024 general elections?

I do not know where all this is coming from. At present, I am trying to activate the party cadre. I know that some senior leaders have been reacting tersely to my efforts and are asking me to quit the party. But I am still trying to do it my way. I also wonder why the CM has been using harsh words about me. I duly acknowledge his contributions to the state, but I am afraid that he is not taking his decisions himself these days. The party has been under the control of some people and my fight is against them.