Patna: A day after quitting the the Janata Dal United (JDU) and floating yet another party, Upendra Kushwaha subtly hinted at his support for the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), as he said there's no competent competition for Narendra Modi for the Prime Ministerial elections of 2024.
"There are more than a dozen candidates for the post of Prime Minister. Congress is the largest party in the opposition, but there is no co-ordination among these people. In my personal opinion, there is no-one who can challenge Narendra Modi in such a situation in 2024," Upendra Kushwaha, the now National President of the Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal said Tuesday, while speaking to a group of reporters in the state capital.
Regarded as a 'party-hopper' in political circles, Kushwaha on Monday switched loyalties from Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD(U) less than two years after returning to the party, even as he announced the formation of the 'Rashtriya Loktantrik Janata Dal' the same day.
While he was an active part of the JD(U), he had often raised slogans hailing Nitish Kumar and his abilities to fit into the 'Prime Minister material' category. He had even gone a step further than other workers who raised slogans -- 'Desh ka PM kaisa ho, Nitish Kumar jaisa ho' -- to writing poetry about the JDU leader to add to his glory.
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Kushwaha's swift switch from Nitish -- who is currently on a mission to unite the opposition against the BJP led central government -- to his arch rival Narendra Modi has certainly got people thinking if he will join hands with the BJP next. On the other hand, some political experts are also opined that the switch is a foul move that may cost him high.
Meanwhile, in an attempt to bring the opposition together, the Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation (CPIML) held a convention on Friday. To look at other potential left parties that may take an active part in bringing the center down, Telangana CM KCR has formed his own party, while AAP's Arvind Kejriwal and SP chief Akhilesh Yadav want a non-BJP and non-Congress alliance in the country.
