Upendra Kushwaha can quit if he feels post of MLC is a lollipop: Bihar minister Ashok Choudhary

PATNA: Bihar’s building construction minister and senior JD(U) leader Ashok Choudhary on Friday said the disgruntled party’s national parliamentary board chairman Upendra Kushwaha can leave the membership of legislative council if he feels that the post of MLC is a lollipop.

Kushwaha recently said that the membership of legislative council, which he was given a few months after he merged his RLSP into JD(U), was like a ‘lollipop’ and he can relinquish the membership as he in the past had quit the coveted post like a Union minister and the membership of Rajya Sabha.

Asked for his comment on Kushwaha’s lollipop remarks, Choudhary said, “Is he (Kushwaha) waiting for announcement of an auspicious occasion by a priest to quit the membership of legislative council? He can quit the post of MLC as like he resigned from the Union cabinet and the Rajya Sabha in the past.”

Choudhary also asked, “Why is Kushwaha speaking only, why not quit as the member of the legislative council if he has any pain in his mind?” The building construction minister also asked, “Had (CM) Nitish Ji gone to invite him (Kushwaha) to join the party? He came into the JD(U) on his own and now preaches to the party leaders.”

On being asked whether JD(U) leadership would take disciplinary action against Kushwaha for holding a parallel meeting on the birth anniversary of Shoshit Samaj Dal founder and former minister Jagdeo Prasad on February 2 (Thursday), Choudhary said, “It is not my domain. Kushwaha is the party’s national parliamentary board chairman. The JD(U) supreme leader Nitish Kumar or the party president Rajiv Ranjan alias Lalan Singh can take any decision on such issues. Only the party’s national president can give an appropriate reply to this question.”

Disgruntled JD(U) leader Upendra Kushwaha demanded that party supremo Nitish Kumar reveal the truth behind rumours of an alleged “deal” struck with the RJD over the chief minister's post, when the two decided to forge an alliance last year.

Earlier on Thursday, Kushwaha held a parallel meeting to commemorate Jagdeo Prasad on his birth anniversary and while speaking at the function, he demanded that JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar reveal the truth behind rumours of an alleged “deal” struck with the RJD over the chief minister’s post, when the two parties decided to forge an alliance in August last year.