Some In NDA Don't Want Narendra Modi As PM Again, Says Union Minister

Some people in the National Democratic Alliance or NDA did not want Narendra Modi to be the prime minister of the country again in 2019, BJP ally Rashtriya Lok Samta Party chief Upendra Kushwaha said on Friday. Refusing to name anyone, he said they intentionally spread rumours to trigger conflict in the alliance.

Upendra Kushwaha is the Minister of State for Human Resource Development. His recent comment that a delicious "kheer" can be prepared with milk from the Yadavs and rice from the Kushwahas, fuelled speculation about a political realignment in Bihar. He later clarified that his comment couldn't be construed as an overture to Lalu Yadav's RJD.

"In NDA (National Democratic Alliance), there are some people who don't want Modi-ji to become the Prime Minister again. Such people intentionally spread rumours to trigger conflicts within the NDA," Mr Kushwaha said.

Mr Kushwaha said his party wanted Narendra Modi to become the prime minister again.

Upendra Kushwaha is the Minister of State for Human Resource Development

The RLSP leader's recent string of comments has been making things awkward for the BJP-JDU coalition government in Bihar. He had suggested that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar must "give up the bid" for a fourth term in office in 2020.

In the "kheer" comment that created a flutter, he had said last week, "We will get the sugar from Brahmins, Tulsi from Choudharyji (RLSP Bihar chief Bhudev Choudhary) and can make delicious kheer with the dry-fruits from the extremely backward classes and Dalits and Dastarkhan from the house of our minority community. Then we can relish the delicious kheer together."

Mr Kushwaha also said that he will undertake a "Kheer Yatra" or  "Paigam-e-Kheer" on September 25 where "kheer" or dessert will be cooked using ingredients from different communities and distributed among people.