LJP parl board declares Chirag Paswan as Lok Sabha leader; authorises to decide on polls

In yet another turn in the ongoing Paswan family feud, LJP's Central Parliamentary Board on Wednesday, passed a resolution stating that Chirag Paswan will continue to be the party's leader in the Lok Sabha, countering his uncle - Pashupati Paras and the 4 LJP MPs. The resolution further stated Karam Shyam will continue to be the LJP leader in Manipur Assembly. Furthermore, the board authorized Paswan as the party president to take all necessary decisions in the upcoming assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab, Manipur, civic polls in Delhi, Mumbai, and Tamil Nadu.

Chirag Paswan declared LJP Lok Sabha leader

On Sunday, after charing the LJP national executive meeting, Paswan said all his party members have instilled faith in his decision to expel his uncle and the 5 MPs. Paswan also announced that he will undertake 'Aashirwad yatra' around Bihar on July 5, marking his late father Ram Vilas Paswan's birthday, from Hajipur - his uncle's constituency. Furthermore, he said that the party passed a resolution demanding a Bharat Ratna for Ram Vilas Paswan and install a big statue of the LJP founder in Bihar. 

Lamenting at being snubbed by his uncle, he said, "Nothing is in my hands. I even went to see my uncle and stood there for hours. I made every effort to speak to him. When that personal door was closed for me, it did hurt." Amid reports of Bihar CM Nitish Kuamr leading to cracks within the Paswan family, the JDU leader said, "We don't have any role. This is their internal matter." Though BJP has not commented on the issue, Paswan has lamented, "I am saddened by BJP's silence", while reaching out to PM Modi. 

Paswan family feud

5 LJP MPs namely Chirag's uncle Pashupati Paras, cousin Prince Raj Paswan  Mehboob Ali Kaiser, Chandan Kumar and Veena Devi voted for Paras as their legislative chief in Lok Sabha, deserting the LJP scion. With the Lok Sabha speaker formally notifying Paras, Kaiser and Singh as the Leader, Deputy Leader and Chief Whip respectively, Chirag sought a review of this decision citing that the Central Parliamentary Board of the party had not accorded its approval. Sources report that the split in LJP occurred in October 2020 when Paras praised Nitish Kumar's govt in an interview with Republic TV. Sources state that Chirag, who was then vowing to 'send Nitish to jail', was miffed at his uncle's comment and allegedly humiliated him after pulling him up for the same.

Going a step further, Paras removed Chirag Paswan from the LJP president's position citing the principle of 'One Man, One Post', and appointed Surajbhan Singh as the working president until a new chief is elected. In response, the LJP national executive committee "unanimously" decided to sack the 5 rebel MPs from the party and authorized Paswan to take all decisions for the upcoming Assembly polls. Moreover, LJP opposed Paras's claim on the LJP president's post before the Election Commission.