Churn in Bihar politics as five MPs remove LJP leader Chirag Paswan

The group of five MPs has conveyed their decision of electing Pashupati Kumar Paras as the LJP's leader in Lok Sabha to the Speaker

Five of the six Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) MPs in Lok Sabha have joined hands against their leader Chirag Paswan and elected Pashupati Kumar Paras, the youngest brother of Paswan’s late father and party founder Ram Vilas Paswan, in his place, causing a big churn in Bihar politics.

Paras on Monday lauded Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as a good leader and vikas purush (development-oriented man), highlighting the deep fault lines within the party as his nephew has been a strong critic of the supreme JD(U) leader. “I have not broken the party but saved it,” Paras, MP from Hajipur, said.

He asserted that 99 per cent of LJP workers were unhappy with the turn of events in Bihar as Paswan led his party against the JD(U) and it fared poorly in the 2020 assembly polls.

The LJP has been on the brink of collapse, he said in reference to its poor show in the polls, and lashed out at "anti-social’elements in the party, an apparent pointer to a close aide of Paswan whose proximity to him has not gone down well with many party leaders.

Paras said his group will continue to be part of the BJP-led NDA, and added that Paswan can remain in the organisation.

The group of five MPs has conveyed their decision of electing Paras as the LJP's leader in Lok Sabha to the Speaker. The five MPs had met Speaker Om Birla on Sunday night to inform him about their decision to replace Paswan with Paras as their leader.

Sources in the Speaker's office said that their request is under consideration There has been no comment from Paswan on the issue.

Soon after Paras spoke to reporters, Paswan drove to his uncle's residence in the national capital to meet him. Paswan's cousin and MP Prince Raj also stays there. Paswan, who has not been keeping well for some time, waited for over 20 minutes in his car before he was let into the house and then left after spending more than an hour inside.

He left without saying a word to waiting media persons.

It is believed that neither of the two rebel MPs met him. A household help said the two were not at home when the LJP chief arrived.

Paras had long been unhappy with Paswan's style of functioning and was joined by other MPs, including Chandan Singh, Veena Devi and Mehboob Ali Kaiser, as they believed that his campaign against Nitish Kumar had left them at a disadvantage in the state