"This Is Being Done For Publicity": Nitish Kumar On Disgruntled JDU Leader

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said that Janata Dal (United) shall remain unaffected by the entry or exit of a member and that he is least bothered about the party's Parliamentary Board President Upendra Kushwaha after the latter called a separate meeting of the party workers.

Notably, Upendra Kushwaha has convened two days open session of his supporter in Patna on February 19-20 to discuss the prevailing situation in JDU.

Nitish Kumar while talking to the media said, 'All this started happening in the last two months. This is being done for publicity. You will get to know soon. When publicity happens, one should understand who is doing it. We have asked people not to comment on this. The party remains unaffected, the membership has only increased since last year. All this is irrelevant. If someone wants to come and then leave again, we are least bothered. If one stays and works, it is all okay, but if you keep speaking, you are focused somewhere else."

The Chief Minister also counted the multiple opportunities JDU provided to Mr Kushwaha.

He said, "No need to focus on such things. We gave him (Upendra Kushwaha) so much, made him MLA and party leader then he left but came again and we made him Rajya Sabha MP, he left again and came back for the third time and said that he will remain in the party."

Nitish Kumar further alleged that the opinion of Kuhwaha was different from that of the party.

"We gave him respect, and do not know what happened again. We accepted him for the third time in our party. He can speak whatever he wants to speak. If you will speak every day then that means your opinion is different from ours," he said.

Mr Kushwaha had written an open letter to party workers and claimed that JDU is getting weaker due to internal reasons.

"After becoming part of the grand alliance, I have been worried about the party's position since the results of the assembly bypolls were announced. I kept informing Chief Minister Nitish Kumar about the party's condition. I have tried my best to save the party from losing ground in Bihar and my efforts continue even today," he wrote.

Despite all the efforts, Mr Kushwaha said his concerns were not only ignored by Chief Minister Kumar but interpreted incorrectly. He said he is concerned about the supporters of JDU if the party disintegrates.

"I want to save JDU. This is only the motive and intention behind the open letter to party workers. Still, 15 days remain in between. I hope that good sense will prevail in the party," Mr Kushwaha told ANI.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)