Amid Janata Parivar merger, BJP leader says NDA should draw 'careful' strategy for Bihar polls

Patna: Amid reports of merger of the Janata Parivar gathering pace, union minister Upendra Kushwaha on Thursday emphasised that NDA should “carefully” draw its strategy for Bihar poll and said the ruling coalition would take a decision “at a right time” whether to have a face before poll or not. “NDA would have to draw its strategy for Bihar poll carefully to take on the combined force of Nitish Kumar and Lalu Prasad,” Kushwaha, who is President of Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), an ally of BJP, told reporters. [caption id=“attachment_2183819” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  (From left) Nitish Kumar, Lalu Prasad Yadav, HD Deve Gowda, Sharad Yadav and Mulayam Singh Yadav. PTI/ File image[/caption] “Though its well known that all these efforts of merger of old Janata Parivar are driven by personal greed of some leaders, but still NDA needs to draw careful strategy to take them on,” Kushwaha, who is Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development (HRD), said. Asked if NDA should declare its Chief Ministerial candidate beforehand, he said these things would be decided on the table of NDA meeting. To a question that Union Minister Venkaiah Naidu during a function to celebrate completion of 25 year of Parliamentary career of senior BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi had virtually declared him as CM face, Kushwaha said it was opinion of one individual and not of BJP. “Various leaders of BJP and also of allies LJP and RLSP have expressed different opinions and suggested different names for the post of chief ministership of Bihar. The matter would be decided at the end on the table of NDA at a right time,” Kushwaha, whose party RLSP had a crucial role in the coalition winning 31 out of 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, said. “There would be no problem in deciding CM candidate in NDA and it would be done at a right time,” he said. The RLSP chief, who comes from numerically strong backward Kushwaha caste, and whose party is organising a rally of farmers and youths at Patna on April 5 expressed apprehension that Nitish Kumar government would try to create obstacles to prevent people coming in large number at Gandhi maidan on that day. The party has written a letter to state police chief P K Thakur to see no obstacle was created in successful conduct of the rally, Kushwaha flanked by RLSP MP Arun Kumar said. The Union Minister took objection to Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das’ assertions that people from Bihar would not be eligible for group C and D jobs in that state. “It’s against the spirit of the Constitution. BJP central leadership shall look into it,” he said. PTI