'Partyless' Chirag Paswan now asked to vacate father's old 12 Janpath ministerial bungalow

Woes mounted for Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan on Tuesday as he received an eviction notice from the Union Housing & Urban Affairs Ministry, asking him to vacate the 12 Janpath bungalow that was allotted to his late father and former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

The bungalow has been the official address of the LJP, which regularly held its organizational meetings and other related events there. Chirag Paswan has not responded to the development yet. Other occupants of the accommodation were also asked to vacate Delhi's 12 Janpath bungalow, which is earmarked for Union ministers. 

LJP patron Ram Vilas Paswan stayed at the bungalow for nearly three decades till his demise in October 2020. Presently, his wife, son Chirag Paswan and other family members have been staying there. 

Last month, the notice had been issued by the directorate of estates that comes under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry. "The eviction notice has been sent to the occupants of this bungalow, asking them to vacate it," an official said.

Chirag Paswan routed in power tussle with uncle Pashupati Paras

One of the most prominent Dalit leaders of India, Ram Vilas Paswan died at the age of 74 last October. He was a minister in the NDA government headed by parties of contrasting ideological persuasions, ranging from the Janata Dal to the Congress and the BJP, since 1989.

His son Chirag Paswan, who is a Lok Sabha MP and is accorded a government house on his own right, is currently locked in a power tussle with his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras for the LJP's leadership. Paras, an MP from Hajipur, was inducted into the Narendra Modi-led government last month and given charge of the key Ministry of Food Processing Industries. Meanwhile, Paswan has suspended Paras from the party, terming his Cabinet induction 'unconstitutional'.

Chirag recently undertook a 'Jan Ashirwaad Yatra' across Bihar to connect with the people on his father Ram Vilas Paswan's birthday.

(With inputs from agency)