Have no issue with BJP's new Bihar chief Samrat Chaudhary, says Upendra Kushwaha

Patna, March 28 (IANS) Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal (RLJD) national President Upendra Kushwaha on Tuesday said that he has no conflict with the BJP's newly-appointed Bihar President Samrat Chaudhary.

"I want to make a promise to Samrat Ashok that I have no issues with Samrat Chaudhary. We are the leaders of the 21st century and not the 19th century. We will work together to avoid Jungle Raj coming to Bihar again. Nitish Kumar is sitting in the lap of the RJD and thinking of bringing Jungle Raj back in Bihar," he claimed in his address at an event here.

Chaudhary belongs to Kushwaha community and BJP made him state President to strengthen its hold on the community and this could be dicey as Kushwaha is also a prominent leader of the community and the presence of Chaudhary could diminish his value.

Kushwaha had separated from the JD-U only with one aim to strengthen his bargaining power with the BJP if any situation would emerge in future during Lok Sabha election 2024 and Assembly election 2025.

The BJP, after the appointment of Samrat Chaudhary, has aimed two targets with one arrow. The first is to hurt the Lav (Kurmi)-Kush (Kushwaha) equation of Nitish Kumar and the other is to become independent on community support. It does not want to compromise on any other political force in Bihar.

"People have spread rumours that I have an issue with Samrat Chaudhary. The way BJP has appointed him as a state President of the party, nothing has left in JD-U. It has become an empty box after I left the party," Kushwaha said.

He also said that he had made a mistake in the past by going with Nitish Kumar and also promised that he will not make the same mistake in future.

He had earlier targeted Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, alleging that his JD-U was becoming hollow.

"Nitish Ji was always vocal on corruption but now he is silent. Why is he silent on corruption?" he said.

Asked whether Nitish Kumar would become the PM face of opposition in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, Kushwaha said: "Tejashwi Yadav had already said that neither he had an ambition to become Chief Minister of Bihar nor Nitish Kumar had a wish to become the Prime Minister. Tejashwi might have got the feedback of people and hence he had said it. When leaders who are around Nitish Kumar are saying that he will not become the Prime Minister, what would I say."