'Partyless' Chirag Paswan replies to Lalu's alliance invite; 'Respect his feelings but...'

Replying to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's invitation for an alliance in Bihar, now-ousted Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) supremo Chirag Paswan on Tuesday said that he 'respects' the veteran politician's feelings but any call on alliance would be taken at the time of elections. He added that till then he would want to focus on the 'Ashirwad Yatra' and making his organization strong. 

"I respect his feelings but my priority is the 'Ashirwad Yatra' and making my organization strong. Any discussions on alliance in Bihar or UP will be done near elections," LJP leader Chirag Paswan said.

The statement of Chirag Paswan comes in reply to the invitation put forth by Lalu Prasad Yadav to ally with Tejashwi Prasad and his party, RJD. Speaking to the media, the RJD supremo earlier in the day had said that 'whatever' happened between Chirag Paswan and  Pashupati Kumar Paras, the former continues to be the leader of the party (LJP). He had further added, "I want them (referring to Chirag Paswan and his son Tejashwi Yadav) to be together," thus hinting at a possible alliance in the BJP-JDU ruled state. 

Chirag Paswan's ouster tale, and beyond 

For months now, Chirag Paswan has been in a tussle of power of LJP-the party his late father and MP Ram Vilas Paswan formed with his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras. Pashupati Kumar Paras, along with five other MPs, had met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in the month and handed over a letter to him seeking removal of Chirag Paswan as party chief and as the Lok Sabha Parliamentary party leader. Accepting the letter, Om Birla had declared Pashupati Kumar Paras as the leader of the LJP in the Lower House. 

Later, Chirag Paswan had written to Om Birla stating that the declaration of Pashupati Kumar Paras as the leader of the house was against the provision of the constitution. He had also approached PM Modi, whom he often referred to as Ram while calling himself Hanuman, but when no help was extended, he came out to express his dissatisfaction out in the open. He had said, "The silence of the BJP has certainly made me sad". 

On not getting help from anywhere, Chirag resorted to undertaking 'Jan Ashirwaad Yatra'. As part of the Yatra, which began on July 5- the birthday of his late father, Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag Paswan plans on visiting every corner of Bihar, and connect with the people.

Will the alliance with LJP change anything for RJD in Bihar?

In the 2020 Bihar elections, RJD, which enjoys the confidence of Yadavs and Muslims in the state, got over 38.9 percent of the votes. The LJP on the other hand bagged 2.38 million votes in the 135 constituencies it contested in, which is much less in comparison to Congress' 3.99 million votes in the 140 constituencies it contested in. However, as per an analysis by Republic World, the LJP's performance in the 2020 Bihar elections had a detrimental effect on how Nitish Kumar's JDU fared, with the margin for the latter party losing about 32 seats correlating directly to the votes won by a unified LJP.