Amid the ongoing rift happening in the Lok Janshakti Party, the sidelined leader Chirag Paswan on Wednesday appointed Raju Tiwari as the party’s Bihar unit president in place of Prince Raj.
LJP MP Prince Raj was appointed as the new LJP chief in Bihar in October 2019 in place of party leader Pashupati Kumar Paras. The faction in the party formed by late Ram Vilas Paswan became apparent after five LJP MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and handed over a letter to him regarding the removal of Chirag Paswan as party chief and from the position of Lok Sabha Parliamentary party leader.
A faction of the party led by Chirag Paswan’s uncle Pashupati removed Chirag Paswan from the post of LJP president. The decision was taken at a meeting of five LJP MPs at the residence of Pashupati in Delhi. Following this, both Chirag Paswan and Pashupati claimed control over the party.
Earlier on Wednesday, Chirag wrote to Birla stating that the decision of announcing Pashupati as leader of LJP in the Lower House was contrary to the provisions of the party’s Constitution.
Chirag also requested the Lok Sabha Speaker to issue a new circular in his favour as leader of LJP in the House.
Meanwhile, Paras on Wednesday took a dig at his nephew Chirag Paswan, saying he did not agree to contest last year’s Bihar assembly polls as part of the ruling National Democratic Alliance and it was a reason for the party’s present problems.
Pashupati said that the party had performed well when he was the party’s Bihar unit chief during the 2019 Lok Sabha polls but was later removed.
Chirag Paswan also broke his silence on the matter and accused Janata Dal (United) of breaking his party while adding that he is the “son of a lion” and will continue to fight.
Paswan said some people, especially in the JDU had been attempting to engineer a split in the LJP even ahead of the Bihar Assembly polls.
Chirag Paswan said that he had looked up to his uncle Pashupati after the passing away of his father Ram Vilas Paswan. “Today I have become an orphan after my uncle left me, not when my father passed away,” Chirag Paswan said.
LJP was formed by former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in 2000. Paswan, a heavyweight leader in Bihar politics, passed away in October 2020.
(With ANI Inputs)