Happy to see Luv-Kush seeds bearing fruits, says Shakuni Choudhary

Patna: The Luv-Kush seeds sown to fight against the lawlessness of RJD chief Lalu Prasad’s regime have borne fruits and it’s a dream come true to see one as the CM and the other as deputy CM, said former minister Shakuni Choudhary, the father of senior BJP leader and deputy CM Samrat Choudhary, on his 90th birthday in Patna on Sunday.CM Nitish Kumar, who visited Shakuni to wish him on his birthday, praised Samrat and said he is with his deputy who is doing well and will reach new heights in his career.Shakuni was in Samata Party when Nitish and George Fernandes founded it out of the then Janata Dal in 1994 to fight against the then united Bihar CM Lalu Prasad, who later formed RJD.However, Samrat used measured language while commenting on his relationship with the state CM and said he is a political associate of Nitish Kumar and working under the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. It’s for the first time in his 20 years at the helm of Bihar affairs that CM Nitish agreed to hand over the home department to anyone else. BJP named Samrat for the home minister’s portfolio.A special ceremony was organised at Samrat’s official residence in Patna where Nitish discussed his old times with Shakuni. Nitish congratulated Shakuni and pointing to Samrat said, “We are with him”. He also lit an earthen lamp and released balloons into the air on the occasion.Nitish, accompanied by minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, not only congratulated Shakuni but also advised him to stay in Patna. Pointing to Samrat, Nitish said, “Look how far he has come. Your son will go very far. We are with him. So, you should stay here now.”Shakuni, while talking to reporters, said he had created the Luv-Kush equation at one time to rid Bihar of Lalu’s terror. “Nitish is a product of that. At that time, George Fernandes was the leader. The seed I sowed is bearing fruit today. It is a matter of great happiness today that the son of Luv-Kush is the CM and deputy CM,” he said. Nitish belongs to Kurmi (Luv) and Samrat to Kushwaha (Kush) castes.Shakuni was born on Jan 4, 1936, in Lakhanpur village of Munger district. He and his family are considered to have a stronghold on the Kushwaha community. He was initially in the RJD. But due to differences with Lalu, he left the party and started his political journey in 1985 as an independent MLA when he won from the Tarapur assembly seat. After that, he joined the Congress and was elected an MLA in 1990. Later, he joined the Samata Party. In 2000, he won the election from RJD and became a minister in Rabri Devi’s govt.