Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) President Upendra Kushwaha. , Photo credit: ANI
Seven members of the Upendra Kushwaha-led Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), an ally of the NDA, resigned on Thursday (November 27, 2025), accusing the party chief of pursuing dynastic politics.
Mr. Kushwaha is a Rajya Sabha member while his wife Snehlata Kushwaha won the recently concluded Bihar Assembly elections from Sasaram seat. However, he (Mr. Kushwaha) selected his son Deepak Prakash (36), who is not a member of any house of the state legislature, as Panchayati Raj minister in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s cabinet. In the recently held assembly elections, the RLM under the leadership of Mr. Kushwaha won four seats out of the six it contested under the NDA alliance and bagged one ministerial berth.
In protest against Mr Kushwaha’s decision to appoint his son as a cabinet minister, as many as seven of his party leaders, including state party president Mahendra Kushwaha, vice president Jitendra Nath, resigned, accusing Mr Kushwaha of resorting to “Pariwarwaad (dynasty politics) instead of following socialist principles”. “He (Upendra Kushwaha) often talks about moral values and ethics in politics, but when the time came, he preferred his family to power,” Mahendra Kushwaha told the media.
Other leaders who left the party on Thursday are state party general secretary and spokesperson Rahul Kumar, state party general secretary and in-charge Nalanda district Rajesh Ranjan Singh, state party general secretary and Jamui district in-charge Bipin Kumar Chaurasia, state party general secretary and Lakhisarai district in-charge Pramod Yadav and party president Mandal Papdal from the party. “I have been in the party for nine years but now I am not sure about my own political future. Mr. Kushwaha’s decision was a classic case of dynastic politics,” said party vice-president Jitendra Nath. Rahul Kumar said, “Mr. Kushwaha has fallen into the trap of dynastic politics”. So what is the difference between him (Mr Kushwaha) and other leaders who only promote their family?
Earlier, while defending his son’s induction into the Cabinet, Mr Kushwaha said he was a “qualified computer engineer”. “Deepak Prakash is not someone who failed in school. He worked hard, got a degree in computer science and even got a job. Give him (Mr Prakash) some time to prove himself and I am sure he will live up to your expectations and trust,” Mr Kushwaha told the media. Mr. Prakash is not a member of either House of the State Legislature but is likely to be elected a member of the State Legislative Council soon.
When asked about allegations of promoting dynastic politics, Mr. Kushwaha said, “I have taken a tough decision for the party. “The Samudra Manthan (churning of the ocean) produces both nectar and poison. Some people have to drink poison. Yes, my current decision will lead to accusations of dynastic politics, but I made a decision anyway.
Published – 28 Nov 2025 06:35 IST
