Patna: Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) chief Upendra Kushwaha on Monday asserted that NDA leadership would decide how long his son, Deepak Prakash, would be minister.
Prakash is set to lose his ministerial post because the NDA did not include him on the candidate list for the legislative council elections. He also skipped the MLC race on Monday, the last day for filing nomination papers.
Kushwaha was also not present when nine NDA candidates filed their nomination papers for the MLC election.
While talking to newspersons, the RLM chief said, "NDA leaders collectively decided to appoint him (Deepak Prakash) a minister… They will decide how long he will be a minister." When reminded that there had been talk of allocating an MLC seat, Kushwaha responded, "You should ask them (BJP) that question..." Asked about any further discussions, Kushwaha said that talks were always ongoing, adding that he would remain with the NDA. “There is no reason for resentment over not receiving the MLC seat,” he added.
Under the constitutional provisions, a person who becomes a minister without being a member of either house (legislative assembly or legislative council) must secure membership within six months. Prakash is currently not a member of either House, yet he holds a ministerial post. After taking the oath as a minister in BJP-led NDA government on May 7, Prakash could have met the constitutional provision requiring state legislature membership only through the MLC election.
Sources claimed that the BJP had conditioned its support on Prakash contesting the MLC election under the BJP's symbol. However, Kushwaha was unwilling to have his son contest the polls on the BJP symbol. There is also speculation that BJP was exerting pressure on Kushwaha to merge his party with BJP.
Meanwhile, popular Bhojpuri actor Pawan Singh, Sanjay Mayukh, Anil Kumar Thakur and Sheela Pandhi from the BJP, along with Nishant Kumar, Bharti Mehta, Shivrani Devi Prajapati and Lalan Prasad (the JD(U) candidate for the by-poll seat, filed their nomination papers. From LJP (RV), Ashraf Ansari filed his nomination paper. From the INDIA bloc, RJD's incumbent MLC Sunil Kumar Singh filed his papers.
On the other hand, senior RJD leader and former minister Shivchandra Ram resigned from the post of the national president of RJD's SC-ST cell after he was denied an MLC seat.
