BJP Ally Upendra Kushwaha Justifies Son’s Induction Into Bihar Cabinet Amid Criticism

Former Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) Chief Upendra Kushwaha on Friday issued a spirited defence of his son Deepak Prakash’s induction into the Nitish Kumar Cabinet, dismissing accusations of dynastic politics with a pointed jab at RJD Leader Tejashwi Yadav. Deepak Prakash, a computer science engineer who did not contest the recent Bihar Assembly Elections and is not a member of the legislature, was sworn in on Thursday as the sole RLM Minister in the new NDA government. The appointment immediately drew flak from opposition circles, who labelled it blatant nepotism in a coalition that had campaigned heavily against “parivarvaad”.

In a lengthy social media post, Kushwaha countered the criticism by highlighting his son’s academic credentials and contrasting them with Tejashwi Yadav’s well-publicised failure in school examinations. “Deepak Prakash is not a student who failed in school. He studied hard and earned a degree in computer science engineering and has inherited values from his ancestors,” Kushwaha wrote, adding that ministerial eligibility must be judged on ability rather than caste or lineage. He urged critics to give the young minister time to prove himself instead of rushing to prejudiced judgement.

The RLM Chief also framed the decision as essential for the survival of his fledgling party. Having quit the JD(U) after an earlier merger he now calls “suicidal”, Kushwaha relaunched the RLM ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha polls and secured one cabinet berth as part of the NDA’s seat-sharing arrangement. Acknowledging that the move would invite charges of nepotism, he likened it to drinking poison during the mythical Samudra Manthan, insisting it was necessary to protect the party’s identity and future. “No matter how much flak I face… this step was inevitable,” he declared.

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The episode has reignited the debate over dynastic politics in Bihar, where Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has repeatedly positioned the NDA as an alternative to the RJD’s family-centric model. With Deepak Prakash now joining a cabinet that includes several second-generation leaders from allied parties, the opposition is likely to sharpen its attack in the coming days, while the BJP and JD(U) leadership remain silent on the controversy so far. For Kushwaha, the induction of his son marks both a personal milestone and a calculated risk to keep the RLM relevant in Bihar’s turbulent political landscape.

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