New Delhi: A day after he returned to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan re-asserted his claim on the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat and suggested no let-up in his fight with his uncle, Pashupati Kumar Paras.
Paras, who along with a majority of party MLAs challenged Chirag’s leadership and formed a separate group in June 2021, represents Hajipur constituency in the Lower House.
Uncle and nephew have been fighting to claim the political legacy of Chirag’s father late Ram Vilas Paswan. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which has so far been unsuccessful in bringing the two factions together, has invited both to the meeting of NDA allies Tuesday.
“Hajipur seat has been a concern and I’ve discussed this with the BJP leadership. I can only say that in 2024, LJP Ram Vilas ka candidate hi election ladega (candidate fielded by LJP (Ram Vilas) will contest the 2024 polls from Hajipur),” Chirag Paswan said Tuesday, addressing a press conference in Delhi ahead of the NDA meet.
After infighting broke out within the LJP — a party Ram Vilas Paswan founded in 2000 — five of the party’s six Lok Sabha MPs ousted Chirag and elected his uncle and MP Pashupati Kumar Paras as the chief of the party in June 2021. Paras was then inducted into Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Cabinet and allocated the food processing industries portfolio.
Asked whether the two LJP factions will come together for the Lok Sabha polls since Paras is already a part of the NDA, Chirag said Tuesday, “People have been asking me where will I go? Who will I form an alliance with? Aaj gathbandhan (today, alliance) is with the NDA.”
“Pashupati Paras was, is and will be my uncle. I have never spoken ill about him, it hurts me to see the way he speaks at times,” he said.
Chirag also said that in his family, such key decisions are taken by the elders. “My chacha (uncle) is the eldest in the family now and he has already decided and has said many times that suraj paschim se nikal sakta hai lekin Chirag ke saath alliance nahi ho sakta (the sun can rise from the west but there can be no alliance with Chirag),” he added.
He further said that with or without his uncle, the collective responsibility of the BJP-led alliance should be to strengthen the NDA.
However, Chirag pointed out that every Member of Parliament was “exploring options”.
“Who is meeting whom is no longer hidden. Due to the anti-defection law, they might not be making it public, but for 2024, everyone is exploring their options,” he said.
Blaming Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar for his decision to walk out of the NDA in 2020, Chirag (40) said, “Nitish Kumar jiss gathbandhan mein rahenge, wo uss gathbandhan ko nuksan hi denge (Nitish Kumar will harm the alliance of which he is a part).”
“We, as a party, didn’t want an alliance with Nitish Kumar. We separated and left the NDA but didn’t join anyone. We got six percent of votes and one of our candidates won. The CM tried to break him. We managed to hurt the prospects of the JD(U) and they lost many seats because of us,” he said.
Sources in the BJP said the party has been in touch with Chirag for some time now in a bid to to help it counter the JD(U)-RJD combine or ‘Mahagathbandhan’ in Bihar.
“We have always supported the BJP. Khilafat maine kabhi nahi ki. Mujhe uksaya gaya, ghar khaali kar diya unhone (I never opposed them, I was provoked, had to vacate my home). But this is not a fight over personal issues, it is for Bihar first and Bihari first. We were against the policies of JD(U) and the chief minister. I have always supported the BJP and the PM (Modi) on policies. Personally, I have good relations with the PM and because of the policies of the BJP, I support them,” he added.
Asked whether the alliance with the NDA will extend to the 2025 assembly elections, Paswan said, “Of course, and we hope it will continue in 2029 and beyond that.”
Admitting that he never denied his commitment to PM Modi, Chirag said he had “certain concerns” which he raised with the BJP leadership. “I met Nityanand Rai ji several times and discussed it with him. I also met the Union home minister (Amit Shah) and JP Nadda ji and we had a positive dialogue,” he said, adding that “Vidhan Sabha (assembly) seats were also discussed” during his interactions with senior BJP leaders.
Asked whether he would join the Union Cabinet upon his return to the NDA, Paswan said “being in the Cabinet is immaterial as we all need to hit the ground running for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections”.
He also slammed opposition parties that are meeting in Bengaluru for a two-day conclave to firm up a strategy for the general election next year. “Opposition unity is not to eradicate unemployment or end corruption. They are united only with the sole aim of removing one person, our PM Narendra Modi,” Chirag remarked.
(Edited by Amrtansh Arora)
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