'It's undemocratic': Kushwaha inveighs against collegium system in presence of Amit Shah
Karakat (Bihar), May 26: Former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha on Sunday expressed hope that upon return to power, the BJP-led NDA will make a fresh attempt at scrapping the "undemocratic" collegium system of appointment of judges in the higher judiciary.
Addressing an election rally in Karakat Lok Sabha constituency from where he is in the fray, Kushwaha made the statement in the presence of Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
"The collegium system has many flaws. It is undemocratic. It has shut the doors of judgeship in the higher judiciary on Dalits, OBCs and even the poor among the upper castes," claimed Kushwaha, who heads the Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM).
"If we look at the composition of the bench in the Supreme Court and the high courts, it is dominated by members of a few hundred families. A reason why the anomalous system has been criticised by no less than the current president and her predecessor," he added
Kushwaha, who was the minister of state for HRD in the first Narendra Modi government, recalled the National Judicial Appointments Commission Bill which was brought in 2014.
"For some reason, it was struck down by the Supreme Court," he lamented.
Lashing out at RJD president Lalu Prasad, the NDA partner questioned his "social justice credentials", claiming "he had been a Union minister and an important ally of the UPA for the entire period the Congress-led coalition in power. But never did he raise a voice against the collegium system".
Referring to the corruption scandals against the RJD supremo, Kushwaha said "we cannot expect a principled stand on such issues from someone who keeps oscillating between jail and bail".
"It was the NDA that dared to bite the bullet on the thorny issue of collegium system. And it is the NDA which will continue to make efforts in this direction," he said.
Notably, Kushwaha has been a votary of reservations in higher judiciary and, despite switching allies a number of times, has not diluted his stand on the contentious issue.
The OBC leader also bristled at "rumours spread by detractors" that he had opposed the 10 per cent quota for Economically Weaker Sections introduced by the Modi government.
"I had supported the bill. If anybody can show any evidence that I had opposed it, I will retire from politics," he said, apparently wary of an upper-caste backlash in the elections.
Polling is scheduled in Karakat on June 1 and Kushwaha is locked in a three-cornered contest with Raja Ram of CPI(ML) Liberation and Bhojpuri superstar Pawan Singh who is contesting as an Independent and is expected to cut into a sizeable share of Rajput votes despite expulsion from the BJP.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
PM Modi tours iconic Dutch dam; eyes cooperation in water management
The Hague (PTI): Prime Minister Narendra Modi, accompanied by his Dutch counterpart Rob Jetten, toured the iconic Afsluitdijk Dam on Sunday, as India and the Netherlands explored deeper collaboration in water management and climate-resilient infrastructure.
“An area in which the Netherlands has done groundbreaking work is water management. The entire international community can learn a great deal from this,” Modi said in a social media post after the visit.
The PM further said: “We are committed to bringing modern technology to India, which is intended to help with irrigation, flood protection, and the expansion of the inland waterway network.”
Calling the Afsluitdijk Dam a “symbol of excellence and innovation”, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) highlighted its role in water management, flood protection and freshwater storage.
“The visit highlighted the relevance of Dutch expertise for India’s Kalpasar Project in Gujarat, which aims to create a freshwater reservoir and dam near the Gulf of Khambhat,” the MEA said in a social media post.
“The visit underscored opportunities for deeper Indo-Dutch collaboration in climate resilience, water technology and sustainable infrastructure,” it added.
Modi landed in The Hague on Friday on a two-day visit as part of a four-nation trip to Europe - which also includes Sweden, Norway and Italy - aimed at ramping up bilateral ties on a range of key areas.
Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) posts, "An area in which the Netherlands has done groundbreaking work is water management. The entire international community can learn a great deal from this. This morning, I had the opportunity to visit the Afsluitdijk… pic.twitter.com/HjeJbku1OT
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) May 17, 2026
