"Nitish Kumar is worried and disturbed in Mahagathbandhan": Upendra Kushwaha

Patna (Bihar) [India], January 26 : Amid the current political situation in Bihar, Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal (RLJD) president Upendra Kushwaha on Friday said that there are enough indications that Chief Minister Nitish Kumar is worried and disturbed in Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) and JDU chief might be thinking about exiting the bloc.
"How can I tell what will happen in Bihar, I am not a future teller. But indications are coming out that there is JDU versus RJD going on. And there are indications that Nitish Kumar is worried and disturbed in Mahagathbandhan and wants to exit the alliance," Upendra Kushwaha told ANI.
Downplaying his meeting with Union Minister of State Nityanand Rai, Upendra Kushwaha said that he frequently meets the BJP leader and there was no particular agenda for the meeting.
"We frequently meet. We have met before quite a lot. Nityanand Rai has frequently visited my residence, when I go to Delhi, I also meet him. Yes, these are election times, so it is normal that discussions will happen on the current situation. But there was no particular agenda for the meeting," he said.
A meeting between RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and his close aides is underway at the former's official residence in Patna. The meeting was called by the Bihar Deputy Chief Minister.
Reacting to this development, Upendra Kushwaha said," It is his party he can call meetings of his own leaders whenever he wants."
On rumours about RJD trying to persuade Jitan Ram Manjhi to come to its side, Upendra Kushwaha also said that the Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) chief is a senior figure of NDA and will remain in it.
"Jitan Ram Manjhi is in NDA and will remain with it. He is a senior figure in NDA. There is no confusion about this," he said.
Earlier today, Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party Chief and ally of the INDIA bloc said that there is "no sign" of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, a key figure in the opposition alliance returning to the NDA.
Yadav also expressed his hope that Nitish will strengthen the INDIA alliance, formed to take on the BJP-led central government in the upcoming general elections.
"There is no such sign. We hope that Nitish Kumar will not go to NDA. He will strengthen the INDIA alliance," Yadav said.
Nitish Kumar defeated the BJP in the 2015 assembly elections, in alliance with the RJD. However, two years later, he dumped Lalu Yadav's party and joined the NDA.
Sushil Modi was Deputy Chief Minister in the NDA government in Bihar in 2022, before Janata Dal (United) supremo Nitish Kumar severed ties with the ally BJP and partnered with the RJD and the Congress again.
Armed with the support of the 'Mahagathbandhan' (Grand Alliance) Kumar quit the BJP in August 2022 and stripped the party out of power.