Upendra Kushwaha has taken a decision at variance with the party's sentiments, the MLA said (File)
A legislator from Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) has accused its chief Upendra Kushwaha of going against his party's line, threatening to approach the Election Commission with claims to take over the Bihar-based outfit.
Mr Kushwaha who had quit the NDA last week over seat sharing has joined forces with the Congress-led opposition block. All the three legislators --Lalan Paswan, Sudhanshu Shekhar, Sanjiv Singh Shyam -- of his party in Bihar had opposed the move, sounding a rebellion.
"Both the MLAs and one MLC of the party (RLSP) have unanimously announced that we are with the NDA. We are with the coalition which RLSP has been a part of. Upendra Kushwaha has taken a decision at variance with the party's sentiments," party MLA Sudhanshu Shekhar said.
"In fact, Kushwaha has gone against the party line and we would soon approach the Election Commission with our claim that we are the real RLSP. We have the support of many party leaders, including an MP," he added.
Mr Kushwaha's party had contested the 2014 general elections in alliance with the BJP, winning 3 Lok Sabha seats. The party sends two MLAs and an MLC to Bihar's bicameral assembly.
The relationship between Mr Kushwaha and the BJP had got strained after Nitish Kumar's JDU dumped the RJD and joined the NDA. It was reported that the BJP was offering fewer seats to Mr Kushwaha's party in Bihar than it previously contested -- a preposition unacceptable to the RLSP leader.
After months of wavering, Mr Kushwaha finally called it quits with the BJP. On Thursday, he formally joined the proposed anti-BJP Mahagathbandhan. "We had said that we have many options and UPA was one of them. The wholeheartedness shown by Rahul Gandhi and Lalu Yadav is one of the reasons I joined, but the biggest reason I'm here is the people of Bihar," Mr Kushwaha said after a press conference at the Congress headquarters in Delhi.
With inputs from PTI