Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras on Saturday reiterated that he will contest the upcoming Lok Sabha election from Hajipur and no other person can make a claim on it.
Mr. Paras’ nephew, Chirag Paswan, had earlier announced his intention to contest from the Hajipur constituency, once held by his late father, Ram Vilas Paswan. At present, the seat is represented by Mr. Paras.
“Chiragji is claiming that Hajipur is the karmbhoomi (workplace) of his father, then Hajipur is also the karmbhoomi of my brother. In 1969, my elder brother contested the Assembly election from the Alauli seat. When he contested the Lok Sabha election from Hajipur in 1977, he told me that I will be his successor and asked me to contest the Assembly election from Alauli. I represented that seat seven times. Later in 2019, when my brother went to the Rajya Sabha, he asked me to contest the Lok Sabha poll from Hajipur. I am the natural claimant of Hajipur seat not Chirag,” said Mr. Paras at press conference at his party office.
Brokering peace
The BJP has been trying hard to broker peace between the two LJP factions – the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) led by Mr. Chirag Paswan and the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) headed by Mr. Paras – ahead of the Lok Sabha poll. However, the situation does not seem to be working because the leaders of both factions are adamant over Hajipur seat.
On July 18, Mr. Chirag, after meeting Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president J.P. Nadda, formally announced his return to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), calling the BJP a natural ally. He said his party will contest the next Lok Sabha election in alliance with the BJP. That day itself, Mr. Chirag categorically said he will contest from Hajipur.
Mr. Paras stressed that Mr. Chirag is technically not part of the NDA coalition and that the BJP cannot force him to leave Hajipur to his nephew.
Mr. Paras claimed that Ram Vilas Paswan always trusted him the most. “I was the most trusted member among others. That’s the reason he asked me to contest from Hajipur instead of his son and also made me his successor. No power on the earth can stop me from contesting election from Hajipur, even the BJP cannot force me to leave Hajipur seat to Chirag,” he added. Senior Paswan had represented Hajipur eight times since his first win in 1977.
In 2014, the BJP entered into an alliance with the undivided LJP, which won six of the seven Lok Sabha seats it contested. In the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, the LJP won six seats it contested in alliance with the Janata Dal (United) and the BJP. However, five LJP MPs rallied against Mr. Chirag and joined hands with Mr. Paras in 2021. Mr. Paras got a Union Cabinet berth after the BJP took on his RLJP as an NDA ally.
Continuing his attack on Mr. Chirag, Mr. Paras said his nephew had been a spoiler in the 2020 Bihar Assembly election. He accused Mr. Chirag of helping the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) in that election by putting up candidates against the BJP in several seats, which resulted in less seats for the NDA.
