RLSP sets November 30 deadline for NDA

Patna: The tussle between the RLSP with its NDA allies in Bihar intensified on Saturday as Union minister Upendra Kushwaha set a November 30 deadline for the BJP to clear the air on seat adjustment for the 40 Lok Sabha seats, saying that the present offer of seats to his party is “not respectable”.

The Union minister warned that the NDA will have to “suffer” in case disagreement over seat-sharing continues.

Mr Kushwaha, who was camping in New Delhi till Friday, chaired his party’s state executive meeting in Patna and told reporters, “I wanted to meet BJP president Amit Shah but he didn’t give time to me. Now, I don’t want to discuss the issue with any other BJP leader except the Prime Minister.”

“Our party hopes that the BJP will clear the air on seat-sharing as well other issues by November end,” said the Union minister of state for human resource development.

He said that the number of seats offered to Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) at present are “not respectable” and a message regarding the issue has been conveyed to the central leadership of the BJP for reconsidering his demand for “more than three seats”.

Mr Kushwaha refused to reveal the number of seats offered by BJP leadership and said that it would be disclosed after the final announcements on the issue.

Bihar has a total of 40 Lok Sabha seats. The BJP and the JD(U) have decided to contest equal number of seats. The fourth partner of the NDA in Bihar is Ram Vilas Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).

In 2014, the BJP won 22 out of the 40 seats, followed by LJP with six, the Rashtriya Janata Dal 4, the RLSP 3, JD(U) and the Congress two each and the Nationalist Congress Party one.

Mr Kushwaha has been upset at the way BJP sidelined his party and gave importance to JD(U) president and chief minister Nitish Kumar on the issue of seat-sharing. He has also been demanding an “apology” from Nitish Kumar for using “Neech” (lowly) word for him during an event in Patna.

On Saturday Mahagathbandhan leaders in Patna were expecting a “major announcement” from Mr Kushwaha after he reportedly failed to strike a deal with BJP on seat-sharing RJD spokesperson Bhai Birendra said, “The time has come for Kushwaha to take a decision. Mahagathbandhan is ready to accommodate like-minded partners in its fold.”

Sources also claimed Upendra Kushwaha had reached Patna with the intention to announce a divorce from the NDA but he surprised his own partymen  by setting a fresh deadline for the BJP.

RLSP MLA Lalan Paswan, who had met JD(U) vice-president Prashant Kishor earlier this week, was not present in the meeting. When asked he said, “A large number of leaders in the RLSP are not ready to leave the NDA and if Mr Kushwaha decides to join Mahagathbandhan then he will have to do it alone.”