Amid Upendra Kushwaha’s party meet, speculation of ‘big announcement’

NEW DELHI/PATNA: RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha said on Friday the “impasse” over the seat-sharing arrangement among the ruling NDA constituents in Bihar and chief minister Nitish Kumar’s “insult” of him will be discussed in his party’s meeting in Patna on Saturday.nnIn a sign that the Bharatiya Janata Party was growing increasingly wary of the union minister as he escalates his attack on Nitish Kumar, there was no word from the BJP on the appointment Mr Kushwaha had sought with BJP chief Amit Shah.nnThe Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief will leave for Patna Saturday morning to attend his party’s state executive meeting, and BJP sources said any meeting between the two leaders before that is unlikely.nnKushwaha had left for Delhi from Patna Thursday, tweeting that he had sought an appointment with Mr Shah to discuss the issue of seat-sharing and also his alleged humiliation by Kumar.nnSpeaking to reporters in the national capital, Kushwaha claimed that his party wanted its share of seats in the Lok Sabha elections in 2019 to be commensurate with its “increased” strength compared to the 2014 polls when it had contested on three seats.nnThe BJP has indicated that it is unlikely to spare more than two seats for him.nnKushwaha also repeated his allegation that Mr Kumar had called him ‘neech’ (lowly).nnBihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar had said at an event that the level of discourse “should not be lowered (itna neeche mat giraiye)”.nnHe had responded to a journalist’s query about Kushwaha’s claim that Kumar did not want to continue as chief minister after the 2020 assembly polls.nnThe RLSP leader alleged that Kumar referred to him as ‘neech’, a charge vehemently denied by the JD(U) which also released videos of the event. He also claimed that Kumar wants to destroy his party.nn”The impasse over the seat-sharing arrangement continues,” Kushwaha said, adding it will also be discussed in the meeting.nnThe RLSP chief’s aggressive comments against  Kumar and his attack on deputy chief minister and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi for defending of the chief minister has signalled his growing isolation in the coalition.nnUnion minister Ram Vilas Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party is another National Democratic Alliance constituent besides the BJP, JD(U) and RLSP.nnSpeculation was rife that Kushwaha could make a “big announcement” with regard to his continuance in the BJP-led NDA.nnMercurial RLSP leader Nagamani echoed the prevailing mood on the eve of the meeting with a cryptic remark, “There will be a big explosion in a day or two”.nnHowever, a senior party indicated that the RLSP will not pull the plug on NDA and wait for the BJP’s response.nnSource: Press Trust of India