Rashtriya Lok Samta Party (RLSP) chief Upendra Kushwaha on Thursday declared a "war" on the NDA but stopped short of announcing a break-up with the BJP-led coalition.
"I have categorically said it is a war. What more do you expect me to say?" the Union minister, who has often made public his unhappiness over the seat-sharing issue for the Lok Sabha polls by criticising the leadership of the BJP and the JD(U), told reporters when asked if he was severing ties with the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
The BJP and the JD(U) offered the RLSP just two seats of the total 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. Kushwaha had said that the number of seats the party was offered was not respectable and asked the BJP to do a rethink by November 30.
RLSP sources had hinted on Wednesday that the party was likely to sever ties with the NDA government and a formal announcement would be made on Thursday.
At an open session of the party here, Kushwaha made a scathing attack on the BJP and quoted from poet Dinkar's work 'Rashmirathi' the words of Lord Krishna addressed to Duryodhana: "Since gesture of friendship has been spurned, I am announcing the final resolve that henceforth, there would be no more supplication but a war."
Asked about the development on Thursday, he maintained, "NDA in Bihar is on the brink of a break-up. The formal announcement could not be made because of some technical issues. But we are not going back on our stance. Kushwaha's words that it will be a war (ran hoga) should leave nobody in doubt."
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