RLSP crisis deepens, Arun Kumar skips Iftar party hosted by Kushwaha

Law Kumar Mishra
Patna: Differences between the national president and state president of Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP) widened further on Sunday as the state president Arun Kumar, MP from Jehanabad, did not turn up at an Iftar paryy hosted by the national president and union minister of state for human resources development Upendra Kushwaha at party office here. Arun preferred to attend Iftar party at LJP office where its president Ram Vilas Paswan hosted the party.
Arun, who convened a meeting of his supporters at Panchayat Bhawan on Sunday, demanded expulsion of two RLSP leaders Rajesh Yadav and Pradeep Mishra from the party. He alleged they were engaged in Hawala trade and taken Upendra on tour abroad. He gave deadline of a fortnight to Upendra to explain his conduct on the issue and clarify before the party workers his association with them.
While the RLSP, a constitutent of the NDA, is disturbed due to fight between its two founder leaders, the HAM(S) president and former chief minister Jeetan Ram Manjhi on Sunday generated another controversy in the NDA by claiming CM Nitish Kumar gave him political birth. He also said politics was game of possibilities. He did not rule out possibility of his rejoining Nitish by saying he was not hostile to latter like former chief minister Lalu Prasad was. ” When Nitish and Lalu can join hands, everything is possible. I was never critical of Nitish like Lalu was,” he said.
Manjhi had attended Iftar parties last week in which Nitish was also present. At Lalu Prasad’s party, Manjhi and Nitish exchanged greetings and were seated next to each other.
Though he claimed Nitish gave him political birth,the fact remains that Manjhi was given ticket in the assembly elections in 1980 by the then chief minister Jagannath Mishra. Manjhi had admitted this soon after taking over as chief minister and had given credit to Mishra for his entry into politics. Manjhi was in Congress, RJD and JD(U) earlier before floating his own party-HAM(S).
Reacting to the statement of Manjhi, Sanjay Tiger, spokesman of BJP, hoped Manjhi would not join hands with Nitish as he was a man with self respect.