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RJD slams Nitish Kumar for ‘nepotism’ as son Nishant enters active politics
RJD's Kailash Yadav criticizes Nitish Kumar's acceptance of dynastic politics with son Nishant's entry, while BJP defends its stance against nepotism.
Jharkhand state RJD spokesperson Kailash Yadav issued a press statement on Sunday, reacting to the formal entry of Nishant Kumar, son of Bihar CM and JD(U) chief Nitish Kumar, into active politics.
Yadav claimed Nitish had finally “succumbed to the love for his son” and abandoned his long-standing stance against dynastic politics.
“Nitish Kumar, who has always questioned nepotism, is no longer immune to it. He had to succumb to his love for his son and ultimately agree to allow Nishant Kumar enter active politics and preserve his legacy,” Yadav said.
Yadav said while it was positive for young people to participate in nation building, Nitish Kumar could no longer claim the moral high ground on the issue of nepotism.
Yadav also alleged that hundreds of BJP leaders had practised nepotism for generations, yet the party continued to use it as a “false excuse for political gain” against its rivals.
Yadav argued that Nishant’s entry exposed the hypocrisy of the JD(U)-BJP combine, which had frequently targeted the RJD on similar grounds.
“With Nishant, son of JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar, a BJP ally, joining active politics today, no one can escape questions about nepotism!,” he said.
Nishant Kumar, a 50-year-old engineering graduate, formally joined the JD(U) at the party headquarters in Patna on Sunday. The move coincides with Nitish Kumar’s decision to move to the Rajya Sabha, sparking widespread speculation that Nishant may soon be elevated to a significant role, potentially as the deputy CM of Bihar.
Reacting to the RJD spokesperson’s statement, the BJP said a party whose entire political landscape was based on nepotism should introspect before preaching on this subject.
“In the party founded by Lalu Prasad Yadav, politics still centres on a single family, where everything from leadership to organisation and power revolves around the family,” said BJP spokesperson Ajay Shah.
Shah said Nishant Kumar’s entry into politics was his personal decision, and in a democracy, any citizen had the right to enter politics. “However, commenting on the BJP by linking this to nepotism reflects the RJD’s political desperation,” he said.
“Leadership in the BJP is not determined by family, but by the hard work of the workers, their dedication to the organisation, and their public service. The BJP has promoted numerous leaders across the country and states who came from humble backgrounds and reached top positions through their hard work,” Shah said.
Shah said the RJD criticising the JD(U) and BJP on nepotism was like the pot calling the kettle black.
“If a party, where several members of the same family, such as Rabri Devi, Tejashwi Yadav, and Tej Pratap Yadav, have played key roles in power and the organisation, preaches about nepotism, it exemplifies the saying ‘the pot calling the kettle black’,” he said.
“Before blaming others, the RJD should examine its own party structure and political traditions. The public is watching, and it supports the politics of development, good governance, and transparency, not nepotism,” Shah said.
