Latest news with #Kushwaha
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
Voiced sentiments of JD(U) workers: Upendra Kushwaha on suggesting Nitish Kumar give up party's control
Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha on Monday claimed that he is in touch with "thousands of JD(U) workers" and had "voiced their sentiments" in suggesting that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should give up control of the party. Addressing a press conference here, a day after the Rashtriya Lok Morcha president had caused a flutter with his social media post, Kushwaha made it clear that he considers Nitish Kumar as an "incomparable leader, among the top five political figures in the country". Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Technology Digital Marketing Operations Management Leadership Artificial Intelligence MBA Degree PGDM CXO Data Analytics Data Science Product Management others Data Science Project Management Management Public Policy Design Thinking healthcare MCA Others Healthcare Cybersecurity Finance Skills you'll gain: Duration: 12 Weeks MIT xPRO CERT-MIT XPRO Building AI Prod India Starts on undefined Get Details "What I had said yesterday was the sentiment of thousands of JD(U) workers. Because of my past, I remain in touch with the party workers. They, too, are comfortable in sharing their sentiments with me. I had merely voiced their sentiments," claimed Kushwaha, who had quit the outfit headed by the chief minister over a couple of years ago. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Moose Approaches Girl At Bus Stop And Nudges Her To Follow - Watch What Happens Happy in Shape Undo The Rajya Sabha MP, who had been the chairman of the JD(U) parliamentary board, was of the view that Bihar's longest-serving CM would do better to concentrate on running the government "in the interests of the state". However, Kushwaha was also of the view that the 75-year-old JD(U) president would do well by giving up the reins of the party, which has found "new hope" in Nishant, the reclusive son of Kumar. Live Events Kushwaha, however, evaded a direct reply on queries about the prospects of Nishant. "I am not sure what is in the mind of Nishant or Nitish Kumar ji. But, of course, anybody is free to enter politics. As per the Constitution, a person willing to enter politics cannot be lawfully prevented from doing so even by his closest family members," Kushwaha said cryptically. He announced that his party will be holding a rally in Patna on September 5. The remarks of Kushwaha, who has been in and out of JD(U) at least thrice, seem to have left the party in disarray. JD(U) chief state spokesperson and MLC Neeraj Kumar reacted to Kushwaha's statement, saying, "Only Nitish Kumar can take a decision on Nishant." He asserted that the party has full faith in the leadership of the patriarch. Kumar has been the JD(U)'s supreme leader ever since it was formed in 2003 and though he has been its national president for more than a year, for the most part, the top post has been held by his key aides.
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Business Standard
3 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Nitish may stay as Bihar CM, but should step down as JD(U) chief: Kushwaha
Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha, who had quit the JD(U) two years ago, on Sunday said Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar should give up the reins of the party, which has new hope in the supreme leader's son Nishant. Kushwaha, who has now floated his outfit Rashtriya Lok Morcha, came up with a post on his X handle, extending birthday greetings to his former mentor's son. Learnt from social media that it is the birthday of Nishant, the son of big brother (bade bhai), respectable Nitish Kumar. On this occasion, heartiest greetings to Nishant, the new hope of JD(U). May God always keep him happy and healthy, said the Rajya Sabha MP. I take this opportunity to make a humble request to Shri Nitish Kumar ji that it is no longer feasible for him to run both the government as well as the party, said Kushwaha, who has been in and out of the JD(U) at least thrice. The NDA partner, however, made it clear that he was not suggesting that the 75-year-old, whom the coalition has declared as its face for the upcoming assembly polls, discontinue as chief minister. Kushwaha said Kumar has a long experience in running the government, and it is in the interests of the state that he continues. But there must be a concrete decision on passing over the mantle of the party. This is not just my opinion but that of thousands of workers of the JD(U). Any delay in taking a decision will cause irreparable harm to the party, he asserted. "I am saying something that most JD(U) leaders cannot think of directly communicating to the Chief Minister, said Kushwaha, who was the party's parliamentary board chairman until his exit in 2023, when he alleged that Kumar had struck a deal for merger with arch rival Lalu Prasad's RJD. A year later, Kumar did yet another political volte-face, snapping ties with the RJD and returning to the BJP-led coalition. Reacting to Kushwaha's statement, JD(U) chief spokesman and MLC Neeraj Kumar said, Each and every worker of the party is standing with Nitish Kumar, having full faith in his leadership. As regards Nishant, only he and his father can take a decision in the matter. Kushwaha had been in the JD(U) since its inception in 2003, when Kumar backed him for the post of leader of the opposition in the state assembly. A few years later, after Kumar became the chief minister, Kushwaha parted ways and formed the Rashtriya Samata Party. In 2009, he merged Rashtriya Samata Party with the JD(U) and Kumar rewarded him with a Rajya Sabha berth. However, Kushwaha again fought with his mentor and quit the JD(U) in 2013 to form Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP). In 2014, contesting as an NDA ally and riding the Modi wave, Kushwaha made his Lok Sabha debut and was inducted into the Union Council of Ministers. However, he gave up the ministerial berth in 2018 and quit the NDA to join the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan. Two years later, he left the coalition and contested the 2020 assembly polls as Chief Ministerial candidate of an alliance that included Asaduddin Owaisi's AIMIM and Mayawati's BSP. The RLSP drew a blank in the assembly polls, and a few months later, Kushwaha merged the party with the JD(U), and was again rewarded by Kumar with the post of parliamentary board chairman and a berth in the state legislative council. In last year's Lok Sabha polls, Kushwaha finished third in Karkat, after CPI(ML) winner Raja Ram Kushwaha and runner-up Pawan Singh, Bhojpuri superstar who contested as an Independent candidate after refusing a BJP ticket from West Bengal. In the more than 20-year-long journey of JD(U), Kumar has retained full control over the organisation, even though the post of national president, which he currently himself occupies, has been held by his trusted aides at different points in time.
Mint
6 days ago
- Politics
- Mint
Son Rise: Tejaswi, Chirag, Prashant are Bihar's new flavours as assembly polls may power a generational shift
Is Bihar ready for a generational shift in the assembly elections due in a few months' time? On the face of it, the answer would have to be in the affirmative. But it does call for a closer inquiry. Nitish Kumar is wobbly. A generation of Biharis has seen no other chief minister. As the 22nd chief minister of Bihar since February 22, 2015, having previously held the office from 2005 to 2014 and for a short period in 2000, he is Bihar's longest-serving chief minister, holding the post for a record ninth term. Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) super boss and former chief minister Lalu Yadav is a pale shadow of his best. After his October 2013 conviction in the Fodder Scam, he was disqualified from the Lok Sabha and cannot contest elections anymore. In addition, he has health issues. The third stalwart of this Mandal triumvirate, Ram Vilas Paswan, is no more. What comes in their place are their scions, in at least two cases. Lalu's son Tejaswi Yadav and NDA minister Chirag Paswan, son of the redoubtable Ram Vilas. Add to it a newbie Prashant Kishor, whose Jan Suraaj Party, may not win elections on its own but has an even more critical role to play – it can cut into the anti-BJP votes with precision. Not to be underrated is the not-so-young son of Jitan Ram Manjhi, Santosh Suman Manjhi, who at 50 is a sitting MLC and hopes to play the role of a king maker, should the need arise. Says Ashmita Gupta, member-secretary of the Asian Development Research Institute (ADRI) in Patna: 'There is no doubt that the younger lot of politicians' time has come. Tejaswi Yadav is drawing crowds and has a mase base. Both Prashant Kishor and Chirag Paswan have done their grassroot work. Let's admit that the younger politicians are well tuned into advanced data collection and technology to leave their imprimatur on the forthcoming Bihar assembly elections.' The other point is the traditional role of caste equations and vote bank numbers, which have dominated elections in Bihar revolving around three main players: the RJD, the BJP, and the Janata Dal (United) or JD(U), each enjoying the support of nearly captive voter bases. According to the 2020 Bihar Assembly election results, the RJD bagged the largest vote share (23.11 per cent) followed by the BJP in second place (19.46 per cent); the JD(U) (15.39 per cent), Congress (9.48 per cent), and the Left parties (4.64 per cent). Smaller players like Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), or LJP(RV); Jitan Ram Manjhi's Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular), or HAM(S); and Mukesh Sahani's Vikassheel Insaan Party, or VIP, also played a role in giving their respective alliances an edge. This time, their edge could be more pronounced. Notwithstanding the modern tool of political propagation, the young blood must constantly seek out new alliances in a fight, which is expected to go down to the wire. Tejaswi is trying hard to broaden its Muslim-Yadav vote base by wooing other castes such as the Kushwaha, Dhanuk, and Mallah from the Other Backwards Classes (OBCs) and Extremely Backwards Classes (EBCs). As part of this strategy, the RJD fielded many candidates from the Kushwaha or Koiri (vegetable growers) caste in the last Lok Sabha election and appointed Mangani Lal Mandal, a senior socialist leader from the EBC Dhanuk caste, as its Bihar party president. According to the 2023 Bihar caste survey, EBCs make up 36 per cent of the total electorate. The RJD is also counting on the support of its ally the VIP, which has a strong base among the Mallah or Kevat community in constituencies along the Ganges. The JD (U)-BJP alliance is not too badly placed either. In the 2020 assembly election, the JD(U) contested 115 seats but won only 43, while the BJP won 74 out of the 110 seats it contested. The partners flipped their positions within the alliance, with the BJP emerging as the senior partner after playing a supportive role to Nitish Kumar for nearly four decades. The BJP conceded the chief minister's post to Kumar to avoid any potential blowback from the influential EBC castes. 2025 promises to be no different. To broaden its voter base, the Congress – in wilderness since 1989 - has appointed Rajesh Kumar, a member of the Ravidas caste (Jatavs) as its Bihar unit chief. Says political analyst and former principal of Patna College, NK Chaudhary: "Just age is no criteria for winnability in Bihar or else JP and Karpoori Thakur would not have made an impact. Social alliances are all about caste. Whatever you do, elections in Bihar ultimately boil down to caste. Nitish has to be the face of the NDA despite the talk about his declining health as his support base is still intact.'' This is not to suggest that development is not an issue, Chaudhary says. Nitish Kumar has gained considerable goodwill among women voters thanks to prohibition and schemes like free cycles for schoolgirls, something that the BJP is keen to cash in on, because after the death of Sushil Modi, they don't have a state-level leader of any standing. There is no doubt that the younger lot of politicians' time has come. Ironically, Nitish Kumar's son Nishant Kumar, has been left behind in the sweepstakes. In a poll, which is heating up as D-Day approaches, modernity and feudalism mix and match beautifully in Bihar.
The Hindu
15-07-2025
- The Hindu
CBI books railway officials for corruption in Gati Shakti project
The CBI has registered an FIR against senior officials of Northern Railways (NR) and North Eastern Railway (NER) posted in Lucknow and Varanasi for allowing the unhindered passage of irregular bills from a Gati Shakti project contractor in exchange for bribes, officials said on Tuesday (July 15, 2025). The central probe agency has cited instances of alleged corruption in the Lucknow and Varanasi offices of the Railways in the centre's flagship project, Gati Shakti, in Bhadohi, granted to Praveen Kumar Singh of Tangent Infratech Pvt Limited and Sikander Ali, they said. The project was conducted under the supervision of Vivek Kushwaha, Deputy Chief Engineer of Gati Shakti, who is posted in Northern Railways, Lucknow. The CBI has alleged that Mr. Kushwaha approved inflated bills in exchange for bribes, to profit the private contractor and himself. Besides Kushwaha and Singh, the CBI has also booked the New Delhi-based company Tangent Infratech Pvt Limited and an employee, Jimmy Singh, who was allegedly involved in one of the multiple bribe transactions listed by the CBI in its FIR. The probe agency has named several officers of NER, including Senior Divisional Engineer Rakesh Ranjan, Office Superintendent in the DRM office, Manish, Senior Section Engineer (Works) Abhishek Gupta, Accounts Section Head Yogesh Gupta, and Senior Clerk in the office of Assistant Engineer, Sushil Kumar Rai. The CBI FIR registered on "source information" outlines a pattern of corruption in the two railway departments. The agency has flagged a bribe payment of ₹2 lakh to Ranjan in June this year, which was delivered by Jimmy Singh, ₹50,000 to Gupta in April, routine payments to Manish, Gupta and Rai, the senior clerk for expediting the passing of bills.
Time of India
14-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Rahul has insulted Bihar people: JD(U)
Patna: JD(U) state president Umesh Singh Kushwaha on Monday criticised leader for calling the "crime capital" of the country, saying the remark was a direct insult to the 14 crore people of the state. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now "Rahul has no political maturity, nor any understanding of the ground reality. It is his old habit to make illogical statements without facts to support them. For this reason, neither the people of Bihar, nor of the country, take him seriously," Kushwaha said. Responding further, Kushwaha asked, "Why does Rahul remain silent on the rising crime in Congress-ruled Karnataka and Telangana?" He accused the Congress of contributing to the 'jungle raj' era when it partnered with the RJD in the pre-2005 govt. "Back then, rule of law was absent and FIRs were not even registered against criminals who had political protection," he said. Defending the NDA regime, Kushwaha said, "Today, criminals are brought to justice swiftly. Bihar is known as a model of good governance and social justice, something the opposition cannot accept."
