Pashupati Kumar Paras has now staged a coup that has left Chirag Paswan remoted.
New Delhi:
Signs of a cut up in Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) first emerged final 12 months when he publicly advised off his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, sources say.
Mr Paras, the youthful brother of LJP founder and Chirag’s father Ram Vilas Paswan, had at all times been his Man Friday, preferring to be low key. When his nephew took management of the occasion, issues soured rapidly.
The Hajipur MP has now staged a coup that has left Chirag Paswan the lone MP in his occasion. Except him, the remaining 5 MPs have gone to the Lok Sabha Speaker and requested to be recognized as a separate group.
Four days after Ram Vilas Paswan died on October 8 – weeks earlier than the November Bihar election — a remark by Mr Paras praising Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar infuriated Chirag Paswan.
Chirag Paswan threatened to expel his uncle and reportedly declared: “You are not my blood.”
Mr Paras was reported to have replied: “Your uncle is dead to you from now.”
Uncle and nephew had hardly been on speaking phrases and even used to spar by means of letters.
Mr Paras, say sources, had by no means permitted of his nephew’s determination to contest the Bihar election individually from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), and area candidates towards estranged ally Nitish Kumar. Those near Mr Paras say he additionally felt sidelined when his nephew didn’t hassle to test with him concerning the occasion’s candidates.
In the November polls, the LJP’s solely achievement was to separate votes in help of Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United (JDU), which completed third and was decreased to junior companion within the NDA. The LJP received simply considered one of 243 seats within the meeting.
In their rising frustration, exacerbated by the election debacle, LJP leaders noticed Chirag Paswan as cussed, boastful and inaccessible. Sources stated lots of them noticed Mr Paras as nearer to Ram Vilas Paswan’s model of functioning.
The LJP’s disaster boiled over when Mr Paras, a first-time MP from Hajipur, was promised a spot within the central cupboard.
Nitish Kumar, sources say, had already been engaged on the remainder of the LJP MPs by means of a celebration chief associated to the Paswans – Maheshwar Hazari. His shut lieutenant Lalan Singh stored up the outreach in Delhi.
The rebels, together with Chirag Paswan’s cousin Prince Raj – the son of one other uncle — Chandan Singh, Veena Devi and Mehboob Ali Kaiser, lastly determined to comply with Mr Paras.
For Chirag Paswan, one other deep minimize is the defection of his cousin Prince Raj, who had been appointed the LJP’s Bihar president.
