In an exclusive interaction with The Daily Guardian, Pashupati Kumar Paras on Friday said that Chirag Paswan’s claims are rubbish and that he has been elected Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) president in accordance with the party constitution. Excerpts:
Q. You arrived in Delhi today from Patna, saying that you have been elected the new national president of the LJP. However, Chirag Paswan claims that the national executive meeting held by you was unlawful, and that you are ineligible to assume the position. What do you have to say about that?
A. First and foremost, Chirag Paswan is no longer the LJP national president, so he has no authority to call the national executive meeting. Instead, by virtue of the Lok Sabha Speaker’s appointment, my name has been appointed as the LJP leader in the house, and the notification has been issued. Officially, our party now has six MPs, and I must tell you that on Thursday in Patna, we had a meeting with the
LJP national executive members and elections were held to elect the party’s president, which was done in accordance with the party’s constitution. All members were present at the national executive meeting, and I must give you the timeline: from 11 am to 3 pm, there was a nomination procedure, during which I filed my candidacy first, and then from 3 pm to 4 pm, my name was scrutinised. Because no other members volunteered for nomination, the returning officer unanimously declared me the party’s national president and presented me with my certificate. So, everything is transparent.
Q. The LJP’s national executive has 92 members. How many of them are supporting you?
A. No doubt, there are two factions in the party, which is extremely obvious because there are now openly expressed divisions. You can see my own family members and members of my own political party going to the Supreme Court, the High Court, and the Election Commission of India. Look, I believe that the country is governed by the Constitution, and that each political party has its own constitution. The process of electing different official posts has been written in the party’s constitution. The LJP, while electing me, followed the party constitution. I must declare that I have the support of more than 75 members of the national executive committee.
Q. According to the Chirag Paswan faction, the national executive comprises 92 members. They say you have the support of only nine members. What are your thoughts on this claim?
A. Whatever Chirag Paswan’s group claims is complete nonsense. More than 500 people attended the gathering in Patna, and the public of Bihar saw how much support I received. So, tell me whether you believe reality or what Chirag Paswan says. I am confident because my election was conducted in accordance with the party constitution, and I have the backing of almost 99 percent of my party’s members. Everything will be evident on 20 June.