JDU's Upendra Kushwaha Denies "Baseless" Rumours Of Joining BJP

Janata Dal-United (JD-U) National Parliamentary Board Chief Upendra Kushwaha on Sunday refuted the speculations about him joining the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and said that the claims were 'baseless'.

"Meeting BJP leaders doesn't really mean I'm going to join BJP. The bigger the leader of our party, the more he is in contact with BJP leaders," Kushwaha said while speaking to reporters.

"These are baseless rumours. I met people in the hospital, no need to politicise it," he explained.

Earlier on Saturday reacting to the speculations of Upendra Kushwaha's alleged proximities with the BJP, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar said that he will meet Mr Kushwaha and discuss it.

"Please ask Upendra Kushwaha to talk to me. He left the party earlier too, I don't know what he wants. I was not in Patna so I'm not aware of it. He is currently unwell, I'll meet him and discuss this," Nitish Kumar said during his Samadhan Yatra in Gaya.

Reacting to Nitish Kumar's statement on leaving the party, Mr Kushwaha said, "Our party has also joined hands with the BJP and snapped ties too."

"I am in JD-U and my only concern is that the party is getting weaker. I will keep working to strengthen it and continue to do so in the future," he said.

Incidentally, earlier this month JD-U MLC Sanjay Singh put up posters across Patna, wherein Upendra Kushwaha's picture was missing.

The posters contained pictures of CM Nitish Kumar followed by party national President Lalan Singh, state ministers Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, Ashok Chaudhary, Sanjay Jha, Lesi Singh, and Sumit Singh among other top leaders of JD-U- except Mr Kushwaha.

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