Upendra Kushwaha finally resigns as minister, quits NDA

Ending months of speculation, Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) President Upendra Kushwaha on Monday resigned from the Union Council of Ministers and walked out of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He said his conscience did not permit him to "continue in the Cabinet to implement the RSS agenda against social justice".

In a two-page resignation letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kushwaha complains of feeling "dejected and betrayed by his leadership". "There is a conflict in what you promised and what you delivered after coming to power," wrote Kushwaha, and cited the examples of "non-publishing of social-economic caste census, non-revival of Bihar's sugar mills, unemployed youth, distressed farmers, and delay in policy for bifurcation of OBCs," to drive home his point.

The timing of his exit from the NDA is said to be crucial as it came a day before the commencement of the Winter Session of Parliament as well as counting of votes for the recently-concluded Assembly election in five states.

Kushwaha, who was the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, came down heavily on both the PM as well as Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for the state's "lack of development under the NDA rule". He added: "The special package promised to Bihar has been the biggest jumla. The BJP-JD (U) government has failed on all fronts — law and order, education, healthcare, and social harmony."

He charged Modi of being "non-democratic" and "anti-Constitution" and said, "The Union Cabinet has been reduced to being a mere rubber stamp as all decisions are taken by you, your office, and the BJP President. The government's priority is to fix political opponents by hook or by crook and constitutional offices and institutions have been used for political appropriation."

The RLSP chief said his party had authorised him to take further decision in the matter and all options, except the NDA, were open for them. "Joining the Grand Alliance, forming a Third Front or going solo… all options are open before us. But one thing is sure, the BJP is not going to open its account in the 2019 polls in Bihar," said Kushwaha, whose party RLSP had won all three seats it had contested in Bihar in 2014.

RLSP MLAs revolt

• Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) MLAs Sudhanshu Shekhar and Lalan Paswan have revolted against their party president Upendra Kushwaha and said that both of them were still with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
• The duo, who were in Delhi on Monday, said they should get at least one slot in Nitish Kumar's Cabinet in Bihar, given that the NDA was now in power in the state for over a year. "We are MLAs of the RLSP and demand that Shekhar be made a minister," said Paswan and termed Kushwaha as an opportunist. Both MLAs had recently met JD-U Vice President Prashant Kishor in Patna.