Former Minister of State for Human Resource Development, India
Upendra Kumar Singh
, commonly known as
Upendra Kushwaha
(born 6 February 1960)
[3]
is an Indian politician, and a former Member of
Bihar Legislative Council
and
Bihar Legislative Assembly
. He has also served as Minister of State for Human Resources and Development in the
Government of India
.
[4]
Kushwaha is a former
Member of Parliament
(MP) from the
Karakat
constituency in
Rohtas district
,
Bihar
, and a former member of the
Rajya Sabha
. He was the leader of
Rashtriya Samata Party
(RSP), his own party, which merged into
Janata Dal (United)
(JDU) in 2009. Later, he formed
Rashtriya Lok Samata Party
(RLSP), which also merged with JD(U) in 2021.
[5]
[6]
[7]
On 20 February 2023, Kushwaha resigned from all positions in Janata Dal (United) and formed his own party called
Rashtriya Lok Morcha
due to his political problems with
JD(U)
and
Nitish Kumar
.
[8]
Early life
[
edit
]
Upendra Kumar Singh was born to Muneshwar Singh and Muneshwari Devi
[9]
on 6 February 1960 in
Vaishali
, Bihar, into a middle-class family. He graduated from
Patna Science College
and then gained a
Master of Arts
(MA) in Political Science from
BR Ambedkar Bihar University
, Muzaffarpur. Singh worked as a lecturer in the politics department of Samata College. He added 'Kushwaha' to his name at the suggestion of
Nitish Kumar
: the surname is associated with caste identity and was supposed to improve his political standing. Kushwaha had worked with
Karpoori Thakur
and
Jay Prakash Narayan
and, like the other significant leaders of the 1990s such as Nitish Kumar,
Lalu Prasad Yadav
and
Ram Vilas Paswan
, Kushwaha had
socialist
leanings. His father Muneshwar Singh was acquainted with Karpoori Thakur; he sent Kushwaha to work with Thakur as political worker during his graduation days.
[3]
In his political life, Kushwaha considers former Deputy Chief Minister of
Maharashtra
Chhagan Bhujbal
his political mentor. Kushwaha has spoken of his cordial relations with Bhujbal and
Sharad Pawar
; he credits Pawar for helping him during a difficult period in his political life.
[10]
Political career
[
edit
]
Upendra Kushwaha entered politics in 1985; from then until 1988, he was State General Secretary of Yuva
Lok Dal
. According to political analysts, Kushwaha enjoyed the support of voters of the
Kushwaha
caste in some districts of the
Magadh
and
Shahabad divisions
. A majority of political workers accompanying Upendra Kushwaha originate from this region. There are other districts where members of the Kushwaha caste who were not under his influence.
[11]
Kushwaha became National General-Secretary of Yuva Janata Dal from 1988 to 1993. He also worked as General-Secretary for
Samata Party
from 1994 to 2002. Kushwaha was Member of
Bihar Legislative Assembly
in 2000?2005 and was appointed Deputy Leader of Bihar Legislative Assembly. In March 2004, after the Lok Sabha election, Sushil Modi was elected to the Lok Sabha and the number of MLA of JD(U) exceeded those of the
Bharatiya Janata Party
(BJP). Kushwaha, who was a one time MLA then, was made leader of the opposition in Bihar Legislative Assembly.
[12]
[13]
[4]
Kushwaha started electoral politics in 2000, winning
Jandaha
constituency.
[3]
He was dismissed from Janata Dal (United) in 2007.
[15]
Kushwaha founded the
Rashtriya Samata Party
in February 2009 against the backdrop of alleged marginalisation of the
Koeri
caste and
autocratic rule
by the
Bihar
state government of
Nitish Kumar
. The formation of the party was supported by
Chhagan Bhujbal
, Deputy Chief Minister of
Maharashtra
.
[16]
In November 2009, the Rashtriya Samata Party was merged into
Janata Dal (United)
due to an improved relationship between Kushwaha and Kumar.
[15]
On 4 January 2013, Upendra Kushwaha, who at the time was a
Rajya Sabha
member, resigned from Janata Dal (United), saying the Nitish model had failed and that the law-and-order situation was becoming as bad as it had been seven years before. He also said Nitish Kumar runs his government through autocratic means and that he had turned Janata Dal (United) into his "pocket organisation".
[17]
Kushwaha founded
Rashtriya Lok Samata Party
on 3 March 2013, and unveiled the party's name and flag at a rally at
Gandhi Maidan
.
[4]
He contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as part of the
National Democratic Alliance
(NDA), which
Narendra Modi
led. Kushwaha was elected to Karakat constituency and was appointed Minister of State in Human Resource Development.
[18]
[19]
In December 2018, Kushwaha resigned from the ministry and left the NDA, accusing Modi of not fulfilling his election promises regarding Bihar.
[20]
Kushwaha indicated his discontent with the NDA leadership due to diminishing importance as an ally. Kushwaha's RLSP left the NDA alliance because it was not given appropriate seats in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. The NDA leadership was sceptical of Kushwaha's influence on members of the
Koeri
caste and believed they could win elections in Bihar without his support. According to political analysts of Bihar, Nitish Kumar holds considerable influence on the Koeri and
Kurmi
communities as a counter to which
BJP
had earlier selected
Keshav Prasad Maurya
as its
Uttar Pradesh
chief. The BJP was sure Nitish, who was now a BJP ally and had gained a considerable reputation in Bihar due to his development model, would be popular.
[21]
[22]
[23]
Kushwaha then joined
United Progressive Alliance
(locally known as
Mahagathbandhan
), which included
Rashtriya Janata Dal
,
Hindustani Awam Morcha
, and
Vikassheel Insaan Party
. He contested the 2019 Lok Sabha election in the
Karakat
and
Ujiyarpur
constituencies.
[24]
Kushwaha failed to win the seats.
[25]
The grand alliance of parties under the leadership of
Tejashwi Yadav
failed to win any seats in Bihar in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.
[26]
During the
2019 Lok Sabha election
, Upendra Kushwaha's speech, in which he referred to the newly formed alliance of his party and
Rashtriya Janata Dal
(RJD) as "
Kheer
" sparked controversy. According to political analysts,
RLSP
represented Kushwahas, who are also called Koeris in Bihar, while RJD represents
Yadavs
. The traditional occupation of these castes is growing paddy (rice) and cattle domestication. Kushwaha's reference to Kheer was said to be the implicit indication of an alliance between two influential backward castes.
[21]
This statement came at a convention organised in
Shri Krishna Memorial Hall
, Patna, to commemorate
B. P. Mandal
, on the occasion of his anniversary. Referring to public and political workers gathered there, he said:
kheer can be prepared with the milk from the Yadavs and rice from the Kushwahas ...
[a]
We will get the sugar from Brahmins, Tulsi from [RLSP Bihar chief
Bhudev Choudhary
], and can make delicious kheer with the dry-fruits from the backward classes and Dalits. Then we can relish the delicious kheer together.
[27]
After losing in 2019 Lok Sabha elections, Kushwaha warned NDA leadership if the election results deteriorated, blood will flow on streets. Later in a notice from
Election Commission of India
, he said his intention was not the provoking of violence.
[28]
In September 2020, prior to the
Bihar Legislative Assembly
election, Upendra Kushwaha's party RLSP eschewed the RJD-and Congress-led coalition that was formed during the 2019 Lok Sabha election to counter the
National Democratic Alliance
(NDA) in Bihar. Kushwaha announced the formation of an alliance called the
Grand Democratic Secular Front
(GDSF) in partnership with
Bahujan Samaj Party
(BSP). The GDSF contested all 243 seats in the Bihar Assembly against three more political fronts: the
NDA
, which included JD (U) and
BJP
;
UPA
(locally known as Grand Alliance or
Mahagathbandhan
), which included RJD, Congress and Vikassheel Insaan Party; and an alliance of small parties that was led by
Jan Adhikar Party
.
[29]
Kushwaha cited the unacceptability of the leadership of
Tejashwi Yadav
as the reason for his separation from the "Grand Alliance".
[30]
The GSDF suffered a serious setback: its only success was
AIMIM
winning five seats in Muslim-dominated areas of Bihar?particularly Simanchal?and BSP winning one seat. The allies had obtained fewer votes than Kushwaha's RLSP, which secured 1.77% of the vote, and failed to win any seats.
[31]
The RLSP polled well in a number of constituencies, including
Dinara
and Saffron.
[32]
Kushwaha left
Janata Dal (United)
on two occasions but after the split of 2013, he lost much support and the Rashtriya Lok Samata Party suffered massive election defeats, most notably in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and the
2020 assembly election
. The decline of support of the Kushwaha caste also resulted in setbacks for JD(U), which was reduced to 43 seats in the 2020 election to the Bihar Legislative Assembly. This led to RLSP being merged into its parent JD(U) and Kushwaha was made the party's parliamentary board president.
[7]
Soon after his induction into JD(U), Kushwaha was nominated to the
Bihar Legislative Council
, the upper house of the Bihar Legislature.
[33]
Post-2022 anti-coalition politics
[
edit
]
Kushwaha engaged in anti-coalition politics against the
Mahagathbandhan
in 2023, when he challenged the leadership of
Tejashwi Yadav
as the successor to Nitish Kumar. In several press conferences, he said Janata Dal (United) (JDU) had weakened and there was need to strengthen it again by reviving the party's core support base. Kushwaha also demanded a greater role for the Koeri caste in the electoral politics of Bihar. He said the incumbent Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Deputy CM Tejaswi Yadav had grabbing the political rights of other
Other Backward Castes
(OBCs) and that after the
Yadavs
and
Kurmis
, the premiership of Bihar should pass into the hands of a Kushwaha leader, considering the leader of these three castes together launched the political party
Triveni Sangh
in the 1930s. He also said
Extremely Backward Castes
, which have been neglected in electoral politics, should play an active role, and urged Kumar and Yadav to take steps to push them forward.
[34]
[35]
[36]
[37]
[38]
Amidst speculation he would join the
Bhartiya Janata Party
(BJP), Kushwaha said he would remain in JDU, working towards strengthening it. Despite the anti-coalition statements made by Kushwaha, JDU did not try to warn him or oust him from the party. Nitish Kumar left the decision whether to stay in the JDU or resign to Kushwaha. Kumar, in a statement to media, asked Kushwaha to settle the dispute, if any, through conciliation within the party.
[39]
[40]
[41]
According to political analysts, the declaration of Tejaswi Yadav as the successor of Nitish Kumar ended Kushwaha's hopes, making him contest the choice of Yadav over him. This made Kushwaha worry about JDU's future, which according to him was on the verge of decline and such a step would seal the party's fate.
[42]
[43]
Kushwaha's continuous attack on Nitish Kumar's decision to promote Tejashwi Yadav as his successor did not bring any action by the JDU leadership but the party's national president
Lalan Singh
said in a press statement Kushwaha is no longer the "president of parliamentary board of the JDU", the position to which Kushwaha was appointed after merging his party
RLSP
into the ruling JDU.
[44]
Attack on convoy and formation of new party
[
edit
]
Amidst a political crisis in the state, in which Kushwaha was important factor, Kushawa's
convoy
of vehicles was attacked during a visit to
Bhojpur
. The attackers belonged to an organisation called "Kushvanshi Sena" and had ideological conflict with Kushwaha. The Sena members said they showed black flags to the convoy and Kushwaha's supporters and political activists assaulted them.
[45]
[46]
Kushwaha resigned from JDU and announced the formation of a new party called
Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal
on 20 February 2023. This party was formed after a merger of his trusted aides in JDU and those in his social-reform organisation "Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad".
[47]
Kushwaha had called a meeting of his aides in JDU and members of Mahatma Phule Samata Parishad in Patna on 19 and 20 February, planning to merge them to form his new political entity.
[48]
Virasat Bachao Yatra
[
edit
]
Soon after formation of Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal, Kushwaha announced the launch of "Virasat Bachao Yatra", a statewide tour that included important places in Bihar and connecting with ground-level political workers to gain support against the Nitish Kumar government. The yatra, in its first phase, started from Bhitiharwa Village of
West Champaran
district and covered
Muzaffarpur
,
Sitamarhi
, Bajpatti,
Madhubani
,
Araria
,
Madhepura
,
Samastipur
and
Saran district
. The second phase of this tour was planned to cover
Nalanda
,
Sheikhpura
,
Bhagalpur
,
Nawada
,
Gaya
,
Rohtas
,
Sasaram
,
Bhojpur
, and
Arwal districts
.
[49]
[50]
Alliance for 2024 Indian General Elections
[
edit
]
Before 2024 Indian General Elections (Lok Sabha elections), there was a buzz over whether Kushwaha's RLJD would become a part of National Democratic Alliance led by Bharatiya Janata Party or not. According to some of the senior Bharatiya Janata Party leaders, the BJP was not solely dependent on Kushwaha to gain support among the members of numerically strong caste group of Bihar, to which latter belonged. It had raised
Samrat Chaudhary
from the same caste group as its Bihar unit president, as the BJP leadership believed that sole reliance on Kushwaha was not enough. This believe emanated from the performance of Kushwaha in 2015 Bihar Legislative Assembly elections, when, his party was successful in winning only two assembly seats out of twenty three seats contested by it as an ally of BJP. It was hence unable to break the grand social coalition formed by coming together of
Lalu Prasad Yadav
and
Nitish Kumar
together in 2015 Bihar Assembly elections.
[51]
In 2024 seat distribution of National Democratic Alliance, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (earlier known as Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal) was given one parliamentary constituency to contest. It was stipulated in media that Kushwaha wanted more seats and thus he was pacified by the BJP leadership with one seat in Bihar Legislative Council.
[52]
Relationship with Nitish Kumar
[
edit
]
In his early political career, Kushwaha was a favourite of Nitish Kumar, who invested a lot in him and made him leader of opposition in
Bihar Legislative Assembly
. Kushwaha, however, lost his assembly election in 2005 despite support from Kumar. According to political analysts, this was an attempt on part of Kumar to create a strong
Kurmi
-
Koeri
alliance. After his loss of 2005, Kushwaha blamed Kumar for his defeat and left JDU to join the
Nationalist Congress Party
, becoming its state-unit chief. In 2010, after returning to JDU, Kushwaha in JDU, Kumar sent him to
Rajya Sabha
; however, Kushwaha later resigned and formed the
Rashtriya Lok Samata Party
in 2013.
[53]
Kushwaha's RLSP fought the 2014 Lok Sabha election in alliance with the BJP and won the three seats it was allotted. In reward, he was made Union Minister in
Narendra Modi
's first cabinet. When Nitish Kumar, who contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election alone without being part of the BJP-led
National Democratic Alliance
(NDA), returned to the NDA, Kushwaha was overlooked by NDA leadership as they focused more on Nitish. Despite performing poorly in the 2019 Lok Sabha and 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, in the latter of which Kushwaha formed his GDSF, Kumar invited Kushwaha to merge his RLSP into JDU. This was done because JDU observed a shifting away of voters away from Kushwaha's caste, and in more than 12 seats in some parts of Bihar, RSLP candidates led a defeat of JDU candidates.
[54]
In 2021, Kushwaha merged his RLSP into JDU and Kumar appointed him Parliamentary Board chairman. Kushwaha, however, later said Kumar was not giving him appropriate time to discuss party affairs. He also said the party was weakening from the inside.
[55]
Earlier, when Kushwaha was JDU's parliamentary board chairman, he consistently defended Kumar from attack by opposition leaders. Kushwaha reacted sharply to the statement of Rashtriya Janata Dal leader
Shivanand Tiwari
, who said Nitish Kumar once told him he wanted to open an
Ashram
and teach political workers, an indication of Kumar's retirement from politics. Kushwaha defended Kumar and in media briefing, he said Nitish should work more and the nation still wanted his service.
[56]
After Kushwaha's tussle with JDU's leadership became public in 2023, and a picture of some BJP leaders meeting him in hospital was aired, rumours of him leaving the JDU reappeared. When asked about Kushwaha's possible defection from JDU, due to his closeness with the BJP, Nitish Kumar told media "they should ask Kushwaha, what he wants" and"tell [Kushwaha] to talk to me."
[57]
[58]
Ideology
[
edit
]
On Reservation
[
edit
]
In 2016, while he was serving as Union Minister for Human Resource Development, Kushwaha expressed his views on reservation in the private sector for
Other Backward Classes
. In a rally organised in commemoration of social reformer
Jyotiba Phule
by former MP
Raj Kumar Saini
, Kushwaha said the dominant section of society have influence in all parts of the administration and the OBCs have no representation in some core sectors of the economy. Saini supported Kushwaha and demanded organisations working for the welfare of OBCs should speak against the under-representation of OBCs in some of the key institutions.
[59]
In 2022, when he was serving as the Parliamentary Board president of Janata Dal (United), Kushwaha accused the
Bhartiya Janata Party
(BJP) of plotting to destroy the
caste-based reservation
for
Other Backward Castes
. He also criticised the BJP's key leadership for remaining silent on the issue of conducting a nationwide "caste-based census", which according to Kushwaha, while he was serving as Union Minister as a BJP ally, the BJP's senior leaders promised to conduct.
[60]
[61]
On Farm Bills
[
edit
]
Kushwaha's
Rashtriya Lok Samata Party
(RLSP) organised
Kisan Choupals
against the
2020 Farm Bills
. These village-level conferences were aimed at making farmers aware of the provisions of the Farm Laws brought by
National Democratic Alliance
government in 2021. According to RSLP political activists, the laws were not in interest of small farmers. Kushwaha announced the participation of his political workers in the all-India protest organised by farmers in Delhi if the bills were not taken back.
[62]
Kushwaha asked the
Narendra Modi
government to take the bills back because they were supposed to serve the interest of big farmers and the corporations, and were detrimental to small and marginal farmers.
[63]
On liquor ban
[
edit
]
In 2016, the
Government of Bihar
under
Nitish Kumar
passed a bill in the Bihar Legislative Assembly to ban the consumption of alcohol in the state. Severe punishment were imposed on those found guilty. In 2022, Kushwaha in a press statement spoke against the state government's liquor policy. He was opposed to the way the ban was being implemented. Kushwaha accused government officials of colluding with alcohol suppliers and asked the people to volunteer to make the prohibition successful.
[64]
[65]
[66]
Caste census
[
edit
]
Kushwaha was an ardent supporter of the project of Bihar government for enumeration of population of various caste groups residing within the state.
[67]
It was an ambitious project and first such large scale exercise to know the strength of individual castes after 1931. However after the results of the caste survey were published on 2 October 2023, he was among the leaders to term it as fake and manipulated survey. The survey lowered the strength of many caste groups which were considered more preponderant in the state. Soon after the results, he commented that the data were collected in haste and also alleged that even his own family was not counted and no one from the side of government came to his house to ask about his caste. Kushwaha also termed the report to be half baked as the data of only population was published on 2 October. He demanded that the socio-economic profile of various castes should also be kept in public domain as it will help government to formulate policies to uplift them.
[68]
Tenure as Minister of State (MoS) for Education
[
edit
]
Protest against collegium system
[
edit
]
While serving as Minister of State (Human resource development), now called
Ministry of State (Education)
, Kushwaha raised the issue of reforming the
Collegium System
of appointment to the higher judiciary. Highlighting the humble beginnings of Prime Minister
Narendra Modi
and incumbent president
Ram Nath Kovind
, he asked why the opportunity to become a judge of the higher judiciary should be closed for communities that are considered a "weaker section". Kushwaha also said the
Supreme Court of India
judges worry about their successors and practising
nepotism
.
[69]
Following the demand, the RSLP organised a discussion of reforms of the Collegium System in ten state capitals, beginning with
New Delhi
.
[70]
To support the
reservation
in the judiciary for the "weaker section", Kushwaha also launched a campaign called "
Halla Bol Darwaja Khol Campaign
". At the same time, an anti-reservation protest was being organised across Bihar and while travelling to
East Champaran
to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Kushwaha was greeted with protests by anti-reservationists. According to police, one person was arrested in connection with the misbehaviour with Kushwaha and sixty protesters remained out of reach.
[71]
[72]
[73]
Movement for educational reforms
[
edit
]
According to Kushwaha, the
Rashtriya Janata Dal
's (RJD) 15-year rule in Bihar is responsible for the poor conditions of educational institutions. In a convention organised by his RLSP party in
Rajgir
during his tenure as Union Minister, he put many demands before the Nitish Kumar government to rectify the state's education system. The demands were aimed at the development of lower as well as higher educational institutions.
[74]
Kushwaha has demanded quality education in Indian villages. According to him, 90% of those who are in need of education live in villages, where there has been severe degradation in quality of government schools. He also lauded the
Central Board of Secondary Education
for maintaining a decent quality of education across the country.
[75]
[76]
In 2016, Kushwaha inaugurated the new infrastructure and building for the
All India Council for Technical Education
. At the inauguration meeting, he expressed concern over engineers being paid a minimum salary of
?10,000
to
?12,000
in the country after graduating from private technical institutions. He urged the creation of a system in which the companies would visit campuses to select meritorious engineers.
[77]
In 2019, RLSP party workers, under leadership of Kushwaha and other senior leaders, conducted a march towards
Bihar's Raj Bhavan
, pressing for educational reforms but Bihar Police initiated a
lathi charge
to stop them from reaching their destination. In this incident, Kushwaha was injured and was admitted into
Patna Medical College and Hospital
(PMCH). According to General Secretary of RLSP, Satyanand Prasad Dangi and former MP
Bhudeo Choudhary
also received serious injuries.
[78]
[79]
Soon after this incident, Maharashtra leader
Chhagan Bhujbal
met Kushwaha at PMCH and criticised the NDA government of Bihar for the lathi charge. He also said the government had plotted to kill Kushwaha.
[80]
Pappu Yadav
, who also met Kushwaha in PMCH, also supported these allegations.
[81]
Gallery
[
edit
]
-
Upendra Kushwaha and
Prakash Javadekar
releasing the publication, at the presentation ceremony of the National level Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar, 2016?17 to the 172 selected Government Schools in the country, in
New Delhi
.
-
Pravind Kumar Jugnauth
and Mrs. Kobita Ramdanee-Jugnauth being received by the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Upendra Kushwaha, on their arrival at IGI Airport, in New Delhi.jpg
-
Ram Vilas Paswan
and the Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Upendra Kushwaha perform Yoga, on the occasion of the 4th
International Day of Yoga
2018, in
Hajipur
, Bihar.
-
Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Upendra Kushwaha addressing at the inauguration of the
Navodaya National Integration Meet
and Award Function 2016?17, in New Delhi on 17 January 2017.
-
The Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Upendra Kushwaha visiting an exhibition, at the 56th
NCERT
foundation day celebrations, in New Delhi on 1 September 2016.
-
The Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Upendra Kushwaha visiting after inaugurating the KVS Rashtriya Ekta Shivir-2017, Ek Bharat-Shreshth Bharat, in New Delhi on 31 October 2017.
-
The Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Upendra Kushwaha addressing at the inauguration of the KVS Rashtriya Ekta Shivir-2017, Ek Bharat-Shreshth Bharat, in New Delhi on 31 October 2017.
-
The Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Shri Upendra Kushwaha addressing at the 56th
NCERT
foundation day celebrations, in New Delhi on 1 September 2016.
-
The Union Minister of state for Human Resource Development, Shri Upendra Kushwaha presented the National level Swachh Vidyalaya Puraskar, 2016?17 to the 172 selected Government Schools in the country, at a function, in New Delhi.
See also
[
edit
]
- ^
Original: "Yaduvanshiyon ka dudh aur Kushwansiyon ka chawal mil jaye to kheer ban sakti hai"
References
[
edit
]
- ^
"Upendra Kushwaha resigns as member of Bihar legislative council"
.
The Times of India
. 25 February 2023
. Retrieved
25 February
2023
.
- ^
https://vidhansabha.bih.nic.in//pdf/leader%20of%20opposition.pdf
- ^
a
b
c
"Upendra Kushwaha: The man trying hard to stay relevant"
.
The Indian Express
. 15 October 2020.
Archived
from the original on 18 April 2021
. Retrieved
15 October
2020
.
- ^
a
b
c
Gupta, Surabhi, ed. (6 October 2015).
"RLSP ?? ???????? ?? ????? ?? ?????? ?? ????? ??????? ??????? ?? ???????? ???"
.
Aaj Tak
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the original
on 29 March 2021
. Retrieved
25 April
2020
.
- ^
"RLSP chief Upendra Kushwaha quits as Union Minister"
.
Business Line
. 10 December 2018.
Archived
from the original on 30 November 2020
. Retrieved
25 April
2020
.
- ^
Lansford, Tom, ed. (2015). "India - National Democratic Alliance".
Political Handbook of the World 2015
.
United States
:
CQ Press
.
ISBN
978-1-4833-7157-3
.
- ^
a
b
"RLSP merges with JD(U), Kushwaha made chairman of party's parliamentary board"
.
Indian Express
.
Archived
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. Retrieved
14 March
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.
- ^
"Upendra Kushwaha Resigns From Bihar CM Nitish's JDU, Floats Own Party 'Rashtriya Lok Janata Dal'
"
.
Abpnews
. 20 February 2023
. Retrieved
20 February
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.
- ^
"Upendra Kushwaha: Age, Biography, Education, Wife, Caste, Net Worth & More - Oneindia"
.
www.oneindia.com
.
Archived
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. Retrieved
15 October
2020
.
- ^
"Kushwaha meets Bhujbal in Pune, hints at joining 'Mahagathbandhan"
.
Hindustan Times
. 13 December 2018
. Retrieved
26 July
2023
.
- ^
"????? ?? ?????? ???:??????? ???? ??????? ?? ?????? ??? '???????', ????? ??? ?? ??? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ???? ?? ??????? ????"
.
Bhaskar.com
. Retrieved
5 February
2023
.
- ^
"Why Upendra Kushwaha's entry into JD(U) will boost Nitish's 'Luv-Kush' strategy"
.
India Today
. Retrieved
19 September
2023
.
- ^
"Upendra -kushwaha"
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Further reading
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edit
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