Bihar’s new Panchayati Raj Minister Deepak Prakash could have added Kushwaha surname to his name before taking oath as one of the 26 ministers in Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s new Cabinet at Gandhi Maidan in Patna last Thursday, but he opted against making any changes to it.
When it came to choosing his clothes for his swearing-in that day, Prakash, 36, settled for his jeans and a shirt.
Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) president Upendra Kushwaha, an NDA ally and OBC leader, had to do a lot of explaining as to why he picked his son Deepak Prakash over his party’s four MLAs to become its lone nominee in the NDA ministry.
Kushwaha’s move sprang a surprise even within the NDA circles as Prakash is not a member of either of the two Houses in the Bihar Legislature. The RLM chief also drew sharp criticism from various quarters for “promoting” dynastic politics.
Of the six seats the RLM contested in the recent Bihar Assembly elections as part of the NDA’s seat-sharing arrangement, it won four, including the Sasaram seat from where Kushwaha’s wife Snehlata was elected. There was speculation that Snehlata would join the Cabinet until Kushwaha named Prakash as their party’s ministerial face.
Prakash is among the 12 new faces in the Nitish ministry. Along with Shreyasi Singh, 34, he is also among its youngest ministers. Shreyasi, the two-time Jamui MLA, is a nationally acclaimed shooter and 2018 Commonwealth Games gold medallist, who is the daughter of former Union minister late Digvijay Singh.
Prakash is a computer science graduate from the Manipal Institute of Technology, who worked as a software engineer before entering into active politics.
Story continues below this ad
To questions from reporters about his dynastic credentials ensuring his ministerial berth, Prakash said, “I will be equal to the task I have been assigned. I will prove that I deserved this position.”
Prakash had been based at his paternal house at Jandaha in Vaishali for the last six years, taking up IT-related work as a self-employed entrepreneur.
Prakash told The Indian Express: “Even I had no idea that I would be asked to become a minister. My father broke the news to me on November 19 (Wednesday) evening, just a day before the swearing-in function. I had worked with Accenture between 2011 and 2013. I was self-employed afterwards. I had been active in politics too, assisting my father. I had also been active during the poll campaign of my mother in Sasaram.”
On his priorities as a minister, Prakash said: “When I started learning about the Panchayati Raj department, I found that zila parishads across the state have about 45,000 acre vacant land. We want to make the best use of it and make good earnings by setting up shops and other commercial units on these plots.” He added that he would also ensure that each panchayat body has a proper building from where it could run local government.
Story continues below this ad
He also said his task was cut out, adding that “In the coming few weeks, I would get to know all about the Panchayati Raj department and the areas we need to work on.”
On his part, Kushwaha said: “My son is well-qualified. It felt good as a father to see Deepak Prakash getting known to the world in a matter of four days after becoming a minister. We wanted him to become a minister because he deserved it… It is not just about dynasty, it is also about whether one deserves this position.”
The RLM chief said he saw his son connecting with aggrieved people during the Covid-19 pandemic. “I also observed how Deepak would hold talks with our party workers. We believe he would make the best of the opportunity he has got as a minister now,” he added.