Kushwaha Rejects Tejashwi’s Invitation, Says RJD Has Lost Balance

“To find a base, RJD is making such (controversial) statements, but they mean nothing to me,” says Upendra Kushwaha.

Minister of State for HRD Upendra Kushwaha addressing a press conference.

(Photo: IANS)

In what appears to be an embarrassing move for the Rashtriya Janta Dal (RJD) under 28-year-old Tejashwi Yadav, his open invitation to Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha to quit the NDA and join hands with his party was firmly rejected.

Tejashwi, son of the party chief Lalu Prasad Yadav, had attempted to win over Kushwaha after the latter had chosen to skip a get-together of the senior leaders of the NDA government, which included Nitish Kumar, Ram Vilas Paswan, and Sushil Kumar Modi, among others.

“Upendra Kushwaha has no place in the NDA. If he wants to talk to us then we have no problem,” Tejashwi had said. However, Kushwaha swiftly rejected the invitation and said the RJD was trying to create an issue because they had nothing else to talk about, reported NDTV.

RJD has lost its base. To find a base, they are making such statements, but they mean nothing to me. It’s necessary for Modi<i>ii</i> to remain prime minister in interest of the nation. He will be prime minister next time too.

Upendra Kushwaha to ANI

Upendra Kushwaha.(Photo: ANI)

He said that his absence from the get-together did not hold any deep-lying significance and that he had missed the event due to personal reasons.

“The RJD's credibility in society in the Opposition is over. That's why to find some plank to stay relevant, they are saying these things,” he said, reported NDTV.

Kushwara Being Given Step-Motherly Treatment by NDA: Tejashwi

Tejashwi had earlier stated that Kushwara was being given “step-motherly” treatment by the NDA, reported NDTV.

The RJD had claimed that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had not invited Kushwaha at an Iftar party he had hosted at his residence earlier this week, nor has he been invited to a similar function organised by Deputy CM Sushil Kumar Modi on 8 June.

Additionally, he said that some of the issues that Kushwaha had repeatedly addressed in his public speeches and which he supported, which included the representation of all castes in judiciary, were aligned with those of the Opposition's.

(With inputs from NDTV and ANI)