Bihar’s new Panchayati Raj Minister Deepak Prakash may have added the Kushwaha surname to his title earlier than taking oath as one of many 26 ministers in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s new cupboard at Patna’s Gandhi Maidan final Thursday, however he selected to not make any modifications.
When it got here to picking what to put on for the oath that day, Prakash, 36, settled on denims and a shirt.
Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) president Upendra Kushwaha, an ally of the NDA and an OBC chief, has needed to give loads of explanations as to why he selected his son Deepak Prakash as the only real candidate for the NDA ministry as an alternative of the celebration’s 4 MLAs.
Kushwaha’s transfer got here as a shock even in NDA circles as Prakash shouldn’t be a member of both home of the Bihar Meeting. The RLM chief additionally drew harsh criticism from numerous quarters for “selling” dynastic politics.
The RLM received 4 of the six seats it contested within the latest Bihar meeting elections as a part of the NDA’s seat-sharing deal, together with the Sasaram seat, which went to Kushwaha’s spouse Snehrata. Till Kushwaha nominated Prakash as a minister within the celebration, there had been hypothesis that Sunehrata would be part of the cupboard.
Prakash is among the 12 new recruits in Nitish’s ministry. He’s additionally one of many youngest cupboard ministers, together with 34-year-old Shreyash Singh. Shreyasi, a two-time Jamui MLA, is a nationally acclaimed marksman, 2018 Commonwealth Video games gold medalist and daughter of former Union Minister late Digvijay Singh.
Prakash is a pc science graduate from Manipal Institute of Know-how and labored as a software program engineer earlier than getting into politics.
“I’ll equally comply with the duties assigned to me. I’ll show that I’m worthy of this place,” Prakash mentioned in response to a reporter’s query concerning the dynastic {qualifications} that guarantee ministerial {qualifications}.
For the previous six years, Prakash was a self-employed entrepreneur working in IT, primarily based at his paternal house in Jandahar, Vaishali.
Prakash advised The Indian Specific, “I personally by no means anticipated to be requested to turn into a minister.My father broke the information to me on the night of Wednesday, November 19, the day earlier than the swearing-in ceremony. “I labored at Accenture from 2011 to 2013. After that, I grew to become self-employed. I helped my father and was additionally lively in political actions. I used to be additionally lively in my mom’s voting marketing campaign in Sasaram.”
Talking about his priorities as a minister, Prakash mentioned, “After we began studying concerning the Panchayati Raj district, we discovered that there are round 45,000 acres of vacant land within the zilla parishads of the state. We wish to take advantage of it and earn good returns by organising outlets and different industrial items on these lands.” He added that every panchayat physique could have an appropriate constructing to run its native authorities.
He additionally mentioned that his mandate is gone and added: “Within the coming weeks we’ll know all the things concerning the Ministry of Panchayati Raj and the areas we have to work on.”
Kushwaha mentioned, “My son is greater than certified. It was a very good feeling as a father to see Deepak Prakash turning into recognized to the world in simply 4 days after turning into a minister. We wished him to turn into a minister as a result of he deserves it…It is not simply concerning the dynasty, it is also about whether or not an individual is worthy of this place.”
The RLM director mentioned he has seen his son join with people who find themselves struggling in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic. “I’ve additionally noticed how Mr. Deepak meets celebration staff. We consider he’ll take advantage of the alternatives he now has as a minister,” he added.
