Assembly Election Results: Upendra Kushwaha says 'BJP's countdown has begun' after saffron party loses in three states

Pune: In the wake of the drubbing faced by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Assembly elections, Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) chief and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha Wednesday said countdown of the saffron party had begun. His statement comes two days after he severed ties with the BJP and resigned from the Union council of ministers, accusing Prime Minister Narendra Modi of reducing the Cabinet to a “rubber stamp”, “betraying” backward classes and giving Bihar only “jumlas”. [caption id=“attachment_2441662” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Union minister Upendra Kushwaha. PTI[/caption] When asked why he snapped ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), he said, “I joined the NDA on the agenda of development, but over the years I realised that after forming the government, they were working on the development of their own agenda, which is that of the RSS.” He said he chose to snap ties with the NDA since the RSS’s agenda was “not suitable” either for the country or for his party. The former minister of state for HRD was talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event in Pune. On the BJP’s drubbing in the state elections, Kushwaha said after the defeat in the Hindi heartland states, the countdown of the BJP has begun. “No power in the world can save them from getting defeated,” he said. When asked whether his party would be part of the mega alliance against the BJP in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, he said, “The party will discuss, deliberate and adopt the options that are available against the NDA.” After talking to reporters, Kushwaha also attended ‘Lene Pratibheche’, a cultural programme organised to mark the 78th birthday of NCP chief Sharad Pawar. On the occasion, Kushwaha met senior NCP leader Chhagan Bhujbal. During the event, the RLSP leader said, “Pawar is the senior most politician in India today. He has helped me in my times of struggle in politics. His service to this nation is invaluable.” “I wish Pawar sahab a healthy life and he should continue to serve the people,” he said. Bhujbal said the Assembly poll results were a clear indication that it was the beginning of the NDA’s end.