Chirag Paswan Rules Out Truce With Paras, Says ‘After My Father’s Death, It Was His Responsibility To…’

Chirag Paswan, whose party has got five seats as per the seat-sharing formula decided by the BJP-led coalition expressed gratitude to PM Modi and Bihar CM for eposing faith in him.

File photo of Chirag Paswan

Source : PTI

New Delhi: Former Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan on Tuesday virtually ruled out a rapprochement with uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras and cousin Prince Raj, squarely blaming them for the split in the party founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan. Speaking during Holi celebrations with supporters, Chirag, now leading the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), expressed determination to move past the turbulent phase, emphasising the upcoming Lok Sabha polls as an opportunity to leave behind a despondent phase during which many had written his political obituary.

 

Chirag Paswan, whose party has got five seats as per the seat-sharing formula decided by the BJP-led coalition, said, "I am thankful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and all NDA partners in the state for reposing trust in me. My party will put every ounce of effort to ensure that the NDA wins 400 plus seats, and bags all 40 constituencies in Bihar", reported PTI.

 

Notably, the formula has left Paras high and dry and he has reacted by resigning from the Union cabinet and declaring that he will seek re-election from Hajipur, which late Paswan represented several times during his lifetime and from where Chirag Paswan has declared his intent to enter the fray, in a bid to claim his father’s legacy. BJP leaders have been maintaining that they would like the two factions, the one headed by Chirag Paswan and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party of Paras and Prince Raj, to come together.

 

 

 “It is for him (Paras) to decide. After my father’s death, being the eldest member of the family, it was his responsibility to take everybody along", Chirag Paswan replied when asked about the feud with his uncle.

 

In response to inquiries regarding the potential for reconciliation, if Paras sought to make amends, Chirag Paswan emphasised that the decision does not rest solely with him, highlighting the involvement of other family members, his mother, and sisters. "It does not depend solely on me. There are so many others involved, like my mother, my sisters….. moreover, I have been watching him stubbornly refusing a patch-up whenever questions about the same have been posed to him by the media," he remarked, as quoted by PTI.

Chirag Paswan Dismissed Reconciliation With Prince Raj

Furthermore, he dismissed speculations circulating in certain media circles suggesting an indirect reconciliation with Prince Raj. Chirag categorically rejected the notion that his sister could be fielded by LJP (Ram Vilas) from Samastipur, a constituency previously represented by their father, which her brother came to represent after her father’s death, as per PTI report.

 

Chirag Paswan unequivocally dismissed rumors regarding any potential indirect reconciliation with his cousin Prince Raj, affirming that their party has already finalised candidates for Samastipur and all other constituencies. He also said that these candidates would be publicly announced within the next few days, firmly refuting the baseless speculations.

 

Meanwhile, Prince Raj's recent meeting with BJP's Bihar in-charge Vinod Tawde and the subsequent sharing of pictures on X have fueled speculation that he might be contemplating joining the BJP.

भाजपा के राष्ट्रीय महासचिव सह प्रभारी बिहार प्रदेश आदरणीय श्री विनोद तावड़े जी से सौहार्दपूर्ण माहौल में मुलाकात किए एवं होली रंगोत्सव की बधाई एवं शुभकामना दिये।@BJP4India @TawdeVinod जी pic.twitter.com/rCKjJZ8beO

— Prince Raj (@princerajpaswan) March 26, 2024

Chirag Paswan was questioned about Mehboob Ali Kaiser and Veena Devi, sitting MPs from Khagaria and Vaishali respectively, who had initially aligned with Paras during the LJP split in 2021 but have recently expressed allegiance to the party's founder's son. Both MPs visited the late Paswan's residence, which serves as the office of LJP (Ram Vilas), ostensibly to convey Holi greetings. Addressing reporters, they affirmed their readiness to contest elections if their national president, Chirag Paswan, grants them a ticket.

 

 

Chirag Paswan remained discreet about Mehboob Ali Kaiser and Veena Devi's candidature, stating, "Our parliamentary board has almost finalised a decision on them. It will be communicated in one or two days." Regarding Jamui, his constituency for two consecutive terms, Chirag confirmed Arun Bharti as their candidate.

 

Bharti, married to Chirag's sister Nisha, comes from a political background, with his mother Jyoti Devi being a Congress leader and former Bihar minister. Jamui is scheduled for polling in the first phase of the Lok Sabha elections on April.