Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, June 17
Pashupati Kumar Paras, who was “elected” uncontested president of the LJP here on Thursday announced he would quit the office of parliamentary party leader after becoming Union Minister.
He said he would honour the provisions in the LJP Constitution that envisaged for one man, one post. Paras has ousted his nephew Chirag and is now confident of being inducted into the Union Cabinet.
“The day I assume the office of minister, I will quit the leadership of the parliamentary party (Jis Din Mantri Pad grahan Karoonga, sansadiya dal neta ka pad chor dunga).” He had earlier quoted the party Constitution to remind his nephew who was both president of the party and parliamentary party leader .
His statement confirmed reports about expected cabinet expansion of the Narendra Modi led ministry and a berth assured to the LJP. Ram Vilas Paswan, LJP founder was minister for food and consumer affairs till his death on October 8, 2020.
Paras claimed he was elected uncontested as the president of the party. Four out of five members of Lok Sabha who had deserted Chirag Paswan were present with him along with the working president, Suraj Bhan Singh. Prince Raj Paswan, member of Lok Sabha from Samastipur did not come. An FIR has been filed by a woman leader of his party with Delhi police charging him with sexual exploitation.
The newly elected LJP chief said he would follow the path shown by LJP founder, Ram Vilas Paswan and would protect the interests of the women, weaker sections, minorities and dalits. He claimed his elder brother had taught him to defend the weak against the strong. A reporter asked him, did Ram Vilas Paswan teach him how to treat the nephew, he became angry and chided the media persons not to put “Ul Jalul (irrelevant questions” and left the press conference in a huff. He reiterated his charge that Chirag had become a “dictator”.
He claimed 71 members of the national executive committee supported his candidature as party president for which ten sets of nomination papers were submitted earlier in the day.
Chandan Singh, LJP MP from Nawada while proposing the name of Paras alleged Chirag had destroyed the party. There is no betrayal in the party, but LJP was being reinvented for the development of Bihar. Party constitution also suggests election of president every two years. None can be allowed to be party chief for life long.
Meanwhile, Prem Chandra Mishra, senior Congress legislator on Thursday appealed to Chirag to join the Grand Alliance led by Tejaswhi Prasad Yadav and jointly campaign in Bihar for the rights of the poor. Shivanand Tiwari, vice-president of the RJD also extended an invitation to Chirag to join hands with the Grand Alliance against the NDA.
