Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has asked his party colleague and parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha to quit the JD(U). Kushwaha retorted saying that he could not leave the party without his share in the "paternal property". This comes amid speculation about Kushwaha 'being in touch' with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).
"Well said, Bhai Saheb....! If the younger brothers keep leaving the house like this at the advice of the elder brothers, then all elder brothers will grab the entire property of Baap-Dada (ancestors) by throwing away the younger brothers. How can I go out (of the party) while leaving behind my share in entire properties...?" Upendra Kushwaha tweeted in Hindi.
Meanwhile, party leader Umesh Kushwaha said Upendra should be ashamed of his conduct and sought resignation. "Upendra Kushwaha should be ashamed of his conduct. Nitish Kumar has given him so much but he is trying to break the JD(U). He should resign from the party," Umesh said.
"Till now he hasn't submitted the form for the membership drive. If he has any ethics, he should leave the party him. "Nitish ji made him Upendra Kushwaha from Upendra Singh. He sent him to the parliament and the council," claimed Umesh Kushwaha.
The JD(U) leader further stated that the party grew strong on its own but when Upendra Kushwaha joined the party, he worked to weaken it. "If he has any self-respect, he should very well resign. The ones who cheated Nitish ji should be careful," warned Umesh Kushwaha targeting the JD(U) leader.
Earlier on Sunday, Upendra Kushwaha refuted the rumours about him joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On Saturday reacting to the speculations of Upendra Kushwaha's alleged proximity with the BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that he will meet Kushwaha and discuss it.
"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 said during his Samadhan Yatra in Gaya.
Meanwhile, Upendra Kushwaha, while addressing a press conference also made it clear that he will not quit the JD(U) just because Nitish Kumar asks him to do so. Kushwaha also sought to remind Kumar of personal insults by Yadav on the floor of the assembly when the latter was the leader of the opposition.
"Nitish Kumar has been saying that I have quit the party thrice and come back out of my own wish. I need to correct him. I have parted ways and returned only twice. My first comeback was in 2009 when Kumar requested me to return to a public function. My return in 2021, again, followed the helpless pleadings of Kumar who had become very vulnerable by that time", said Kushwaha. (With Agency Inputs)
