New Delhi: Putting the onus on Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar-led Janata Dal (United) for the ongoing friction within his party, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan on Wednesday alleged he was illegally removed as the party chief by a faction led by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras.
Asserting that the way he was removed as the LJP president was “completely illegal”, Chirag said that he was also ready to fight a “legal battle” over it.
“If Pashupati Paras wanted to be the leader of the party in Parliament, he could have told me and I would have happily made him the leader,” he said.
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Continuing his outburst, Chirag said the JD (U) is “solely responsible” for the current situation.
“The JD (U) as a party has always tried to divide other parties that come up to give them a fight. We are devising a legal way to respond to everything that has happened in the past few days,” he added.
Chirag, the son of late party supremo Ram Vilas Paswan, while citing his bad health over the past few days alleged that he has been betrayed.
“I have not been keeping well for the past few days. I am still recovering from typhoid… What hurts me the most is the fact that when I was on bed rest, such a strategy was made behind my back. I tried my level best to make sure that the party and family stays united. Even my mother tried to contact uncle but was not able to do so,” he added.
Meanwhile, Paras, who represents the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat in Bihar, hit back at Chirag.
“You must ask Chirag Paswan why he removed me from the state president’s post. He did it even when he doesn’t hold power. We contested Bihar elections under my supervision and all 6 MPs won. We received the highest percentage of vote as per the Election Commission’s report,” he said.
The war of words come as Paras was earlier on Monday unanimously elected as the LJP parliamentary leader in the Lok Sabha.
Chirag has contested the decision and in a letter written to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla earlier on Tuesday informed him of the LJP’s decision to expel the five MPs, who have joined hands against him.
The Jami MP in his letter also urged Birla to review the earlier decision and issue a new circular naming him as the LJP leader in the Lok Sabha.
“Since Article 26 of the Constitution of Lok Jan Shakti Party empower Central Parliamentary Board of the party to decide who would be Leader of our Party in Lok Sabha, hence, the decision of announcing Sh. Pashupati Kumar Paras MP as Leader of LJP party in the Lok Sabha is contrary to provision of Constitution of our party," he wrote.