JD(U)‘s Upendra Kushwaha sets off speculation by extending invitation to BJP leaders for a get-together on Makar Sankranti

The Kushwaha community is considered the second-largest OBC caste and plays a pivotal role in Bihar’s electoral process

Politics in Bihar seems to be heating up around the cool Makar Sankranti speciality of “ dahi-chura” (beaten rice and curd), with senior Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Upendra Kushwaha extending an invitation to leaders of the BJP along with his own Mahagathbandhan (grand alliance) colleagues for a get-together on the festival day, January 14.

The get-togethers on Makar Sankranti, marking the end of “ Khar maas” or the inauspicious period according to the Hindu calender, involve eating dahi-chura and also heavy political messaging based on who is invited and who is not.

An open invitation to State BJP leaders for a feast hosted by a leader of the JD(U), after the bitter break-up of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar and after Mr. Kushwaha himself had, a few years ago, parted from the BJP, has raised speculation that he may be sending feelers to the BJP that he is open to negotiating his own re-entry into the NDA space.

Mr. Kushwaha merged his own party, the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party (RLSP), with the JD(U) with an aim to position himself firmly as a leader of non-Yadav OBCs (Other Backward Class) in the event of a post Chief Minister Nitish Kumar scenario in Bihar. The Kushwaha community is considered the second-largest OBC caste and plays a pivotal role in Bihar’s electoral process.

The merger of the parties took place before the formation of Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, between the JD(U) and the Deputy Chief Minister Tejashwai Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), along with the Congress and Left parties.

The formation of the Mahagathbandhan was a jolt to Mr. Kushwaha, as there has been recent, frequent talk that Mr. Kumar looks at Mr. Yadav as his successor in the Chief Minister’s chair. There is also talk that the JD(U) may merge with the RJD soon, leaving leaders like Mr. Kushwaha worried about what lies ahead. “An act akin to suicide,” is how Mr. Kushwaha had termed, on record, the possibility of merging the JD(U) with the RJD.

Interestingly, Mr. Kushwaha recently chaired a closed door meeting with leaders who had contested the last Lok Sabha and Assembly polls on the RLSP ticket. Sources close to Mr. Kushwaha accepted that the meeting was called with an aim to revive the RLSP. Asked about being upset with the JD(U), Mr. Kushwaha said, “No, nothing as such. Why should I be upset with anyone in the party?”