Internal fighting in the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has entered round two as both factions led by Chirag Paswan and his uncle Pashu Pati Kumar Paras held meetings of the national executive and took action against each other.
After being recognised as parliamentary party leader by the Lok Sabha Speaker, Paras, along with his supporting MPs, called a meeting at his residence in Delhi on Tuesday claiming that they have removed party national president Chirag Paswan from the post. On the other hand, Chirag Paswan also called a meeting and expelled all five rebel MPs from the party.
Chirag Paswan was removed as national president of LJP on the principle of “One Man, One Post”, said a press release from the Paras group. Rebel group named don-turned-politician Surajbhan Singh, a former Lok Sabha MP, as working president of LJP and decided to hold a meeting of the party in Patna in the next few days to elect a full-time new party chief. After being removed as party president by his uncle, Chirag Paswan broke his silence and tweeted an emotional message releasing a letter he had written to his uncle in March this year, reminding everyone how Paras was not happy at his elevation as party president. “I tried to keep the party, founded by my father and the family, together but failed. Party is like a mother and nobody should betray it. People are supreme in a democracy. I thank those who keep trust in the party,” said Chirag Paswan.
Soon after this tweet, Chirag Paswan presided a meeting via video conference of LJP national executive which mentioned that the five rebel MPs of the party, Pashupati Kumar Paras, Beena Devi, Chandan Kumar Singh, Mehboob Ali Qaiser and Prince Raj, have taken part in “anti-party activities” and decided to remove them from the primary membership of LJP with immediate effect as “disciplinary action”.
These MPs joined hands on Sunday evening and staged a coup by ousting Chirag Paswan as party leader in the Lok Sabha. On Monday, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted Pashupati Paras as the new leader of the LJP in the House. This is seen as approval of Paras’ accession. These developments on Tuesday are an indication of escalating turf war between Chirag Paswan and his uncle to control over the LJP which was founded by late Ramvilas Paswan.