BJP faces Paswan dilemma in Bihar
By Manish Anand
New Delhi, July 13: The initial bid of the Bharatiy Janata Party (BJP) to build alliance in Bihar appears to have run into the tall wall of ambition of Lok Sabha MP Chirag Paswan. The BJP’s outreach to unify the two factions of the Lok Jan Shakti Party is learnt to have not excited the stakeholders.
Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, 71, is learnt to be holding his grounds with claims that he is the true successor of his brother and the founder of the party Ram Vilas Paswan. Paras is basing his argument on the ground that he represents the Hajipur Lok Sabha constituency, which had been identified with his elder brother and the former Union Minister.
On the other hand, Chirag Paswan is learnt to have staked claims on at least four Lok Sabha seats, which are currently held by the associates of his uncle who split the party to join the council of ministers headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Chirag Paswan, said the informed sources, is seeking Hajipur, Vaishali, Khagaria, and Jehanabad in Bihar.
“Both the faction of the LJP are demanding seven Lok Sabha seats each from the BJP. Chirag Paswan is wary of the unification bid on the grounds that the MPs who had rebelled against him will again contest and remain loyal to his uncle,” sources said, who added that Chirag Paswan himself is aiming to contest from the Hajipur Lok Sabha seats to establish himself as the true political heir of his father.
Incidentally, Ram Vilas Paswan was a dotting father to Chirag Paswan, and even a film was made to launch Chirag Paswan as a Hindi film hero before he was drafted into politics. But Pashupati Kumar Paras looked after the party affairs during the lifetime of Ram Vilas Paswan.
“The possible way out could be to persuade Pashupati Kumar Paras to seek a Rajya Sabha term after the 2024 Lok Sabha election. The BJP naturally has a lot of homework to do to make both the family rivals bury the hatchet in the next few weeks,” added the sources.
While Chirag Paswan has age on his aside, his uncle is now in 70s and his place in the Modi council of ministers in the event the NDA retains power at the Centre may be doubtful, claimed the informed sources, who argued that there are compelling reasons for both the factions to join hands.
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