Trouble is brewing within the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM), a key ally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Bihar, as a significant section of its legislative wing has raised a banner of revolt against party chief Upendra Kushwaha. The core of the dispute is the accusation of blatant promotion of dynasty politics by Kushwaha, following the appointment of his son, Deepak Prakash, as a state minister despite not being an elected legislator.
MLAs Skip Dinner, Meet BJP Leader in Protest
The simmering discontent came to a head on Wednesday, December 27, 2025, when three of the party's four Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) deliberately skipped a litti chokha dinner party hosted by Kushwaha. The MLAs—Alok Kumar Singh (Dinara), Rameshwar Mahto (Bajpatti), and Madhaw Anand (Madhubani)—chose instead to meet with BJP's national working president, Nitin Nabin, sending a strong political signal.
The buzz of rebellion intensified later that day when Anand and Mahto left for Delhi, reportedly to hold discussions with senior BJP leaders. This act of defiance follows a major exodus just a month prior, when seven senior RLM leaders, including former number two Jitendra Nath, quit the party in protest against Prakash's ministerial berth.
"A Suicidal Step": MLAs Accuse Kushwaha of Hypocrisy
Speaking to the media, the dissenting MLAs did not mince words. Madhaw Anand labeled Kushwaha's actions as a "suicidal step" for the party. He pointed out the concentration of power within one family: Upendra Kushwaha is a Rajya Sabha MP, his wife Snehlata is the MLA from Sasaram, and now his son is a minister.
"The three of us are against this, but we are not quitting the party," Anand clarified, attempting to balance protest with loyalty. He described the meeting with Nitin Nabin as a mere "courtesy call." Rameshwar Mahto echoed these sentiments, highlighting Kushwaha's past stance. "He used to be dead against dynastic politics. All of a sudden, he has forgotten about it," Mahto said, adding that the MLAs were not consulted before the son's elevation.
The RLM had contested six seats in the recent Bihar Assembly polls and won four. The party's fourth legislator is Kushwaha's wife, Snehlata.
A Familiar Challenge and Political Ramifications
This is not the first time Upendra Kushwaha has faced internal rebellion. Soon after the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, two RLM MLAs and one MLC had defected to the Janata Dal (United). While a BJP leader tried to downplay the current crisis as an "internal issue" of the RLM, the JD(U) was quick to offer unsolicited advice.
A JD(U) leader suggested Kushwaha should learn "how to keep his flock together" from Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) chief Jitan Ram Manjhi. Interestingly, the RLM's turmoil surfaces just as Manjhi has stepped up his demand for a Rajya Sabha seat, with five seats from Bihar set to fall vacant in about six months.
A source close to Kushwaha dismissed the drama, claiming the MLAs' absence from the dinner was being overblown and that "things will settle down soon." However, with key allies meeting BJP leadership independently and a history of defections, the stability of this NDA constituent in Bihar appears shaky, putting the spotlight squarely on the perennial issue of family rule in Indian regional politics.
