Chirag Paswan ousted, uncle Pashupati Paras LJP party leader

Mukesh Ranjan

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 14

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) leader Nitish Kumar’s “Operation Chirag” has succeeded with Hajipur MP Pashupati Kumar Paras ousting nephew Chirag Paswan as LJP leader in the Lok Sabha.

Four of the six LJP MPs on Monday elected Paras as their leader and met Speaker Om Birla, who accepted their proposal.

Sources said it was Nitish Kumar’s two associates — party MP Rajiv Ranjan (Lalan Singh) and Deputy Speaker of Bihar Assembly Maheswar Hazari — who ensured that the four LJP members rallied behind Paras. A senior leader said Nitish was unhappy with Chirag for having fielded candidates only against the JD(U) during the 2020 Assembly polls, which cost the party 30 seats.

Addressing the media, Paras lauded Nitish Kumar as “vikas purush”. He claimed that most LJP workers were unhappy with the turn of events in Bihar during the Assembly elections. He also said the LJP would continue to be part of the BJP-led NDA and that “Chirag can remain a part of the party.”

Paras, who has the backing of Chirag’s cousin Prince Raj (Samastipur), Mehboob Ali Kaiser (Khagaria), Veena Devi (Vaishali) and Chandan Singh (Nawada), said “wrong decisions” had led to the LJP being marginalised in Bihar.