Patna: Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha today said the Janata Parivar's merger will not affect NDA's prospect in the Bihar Assembly elections.
“The Janata Parivar's merger will have no adverse impact on the NDA's prospects at the hustings in Bihar,” he said while addressing his party's ‘Kisan-Naujawan rally' at the historic Gandhi Maidan here.
While the NDA has nothing to fear from a new political party, the merger will, in particular, spell doom of the Chief Minister Nitish Kumar who has pitched hard for coming together of Janata Parivar members, Kushwaha said.
Charging the senior JD(U) leader with compromising his dignity by falling on the feet of the RJD supremo Lalu Prasad for support, the RLSP chief sought to create fissures in the ranks of the ruling party leaders saying that the doors of RLSP was open for all those JD(U) leaders who were feeling uncomfortable with merger process.
“I want to tell those JD(U) leaders and workers that the doors of my party are open for them if they are feeling uncomfortable with the merger process and want to serve the people with dignity,” the Union Minister said.
Amid murmurs in the JD(U) camp over his hijacking the legendary socialist leader George Fernandes's legacy, Kushwaha charged Kumar with forgetting principles and policies of the octogenarian leader and said that he and his party have steadfastly followed the JD(U) founder's ideology and stood for secularism and social justice agendas.
“We have consistently raised our voice for the rights of farmers and youth,” the RLSP chief said.
Acknowledging that his party's secular credentials were under scanner after joining the BJP-led NDA, Kushwaha said that the agendas of social justice and secularism were in his bloods and the same cannot change under whatever circumstances or political affiliation.
Lashing out at Kumar for seeking five more years in power to usher in development in Bihar, the RLSP supremo urged the people to ensure that a political outfit comprising Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad should not get to rule the state for another term as they had failed to do anything worthwhile during 25 years' rule.
