Lok Sabha Election 2024: Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) chief Pashupati Paras is said to be mulling joining the Opposition I.N.D.I.A. bloc after his party was left out of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) seat-sharing in Bihar prompting his resignation from his ministerial position in the Union cabinet led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He is in touch with Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, sources told ABP News.
Following Pashupati Paras's resignation, RJD leader Tej Pratap Yadav criticised the NDA, stating, "The NDA always does injustice. Pashupati Paras should have quit the alliance long back, he has made a good decision. If Pashupati Paras comes, we will welcome him in the grand alliance."
Pashupati Paras, the brother of the late Ram Vilas Paswan, expressed dissatisfaction as the BJP did not allocate any seats to his party in the NDA's seat-sharing agreement in Bihar. The BJP instead allocated five seats to Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), led by Chirag Paswan, who is the son of Ram Vilas Paswan and Pashupati Paras's estranged nephew.
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Injustice Meted Out To My Party: Pashupati Paras
The RLJP chief had intended to contest from Hajipur, which led to contention with Chirag Paswan. Despite Paras's claim, the BJP assigned the Hajipur seat to LJP (Ram Vilas), further exacerbating his discontent.
In his resignation announcement, Pashupati Paras accused the BJP of injustice towards his party, stating, "Injustice has been meted out to my party and especially me", as quoted by news agency PTI. Despite expressing his grievances, Paras refrained from making strong comments against the BJP or its leaders.
His party's spokesperson, Shravan Agarwal, affirmed that Paras would contest elections.