The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) has called a national executive meeting in the national capital Delhi on Sunday, led by Chirag Paswan. In the midst of a feud with his uncle Pashupati Paras over control of the party, Paswan claims that he has the support of more than 90% of the national executive members.
The move is being seen as a show of strength in support of Chirag Paswan, the son of Lok Janshakti Party founder Ram Vilas Paswan, after all five other MPs of the party joined Paras to divest him of key positions. Paswan could also use the proceedings of the meeting on Sunday to support the LJP’s case before the Election Commission, according to a LJP leader.
Meanwhile, the LJP faction led by Paras disbanded all party bodies and state units on Saturday and announced the formation of a new national executive. With Paras as president, the faction’s four other MPs are included in the executive, as are a few of the party’s office-bearers who switched allegiance to him from Paswan.
Chirag Paswan’s claim:
On Saturday, Chirag Paswan met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to present his case against Birla’s decision to accept the other faction’s claim that Paras is the party’s leader in the Lok Sabha.
A delegation led by Paswan visited the Election Commission office on Friday before meeting with Birla, urging the EC to seek its opinion before making a decision on the other faction’s claim to the party, which is led by Paras.
Paswan told reporters after submitting his memorandum to the Election Commission that he was elected party president for five years in 2019 after his uncle Paras was elected in his place.
The counter for the Paras faction is:
According to the party’s constitution, Pashupati Kumar Paras’ election to the top position was completely legitimate. “Chirag Paswan is no longer the national president of the LJP or the leader of the parliamentary party, according to the party’s constitution. Under the party’s constitution, which he is unaware of, yesterday’s election was completely legitimate “On Friday, he stated.
The LJP’s rebel faction elected Paras as its new president on Thursday. Chirag Paswan reacted by claiming that the election was illegal because it was held by LJP members who had been suspended from the party.
The origins of the crisis are as follows:
On Sunday, five LJP Lok Sabha members replaced Chirag Paswan with Paras, the younger brother of LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan, sparking a crisis in the party. These MPs met with Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and presented him with a letter requesting Chirag Paswan’s removal as party chief and Lok Sabha Parliamentary party leader.
Paras was recognised as the parliamentary party’s leader by the Lok Sabha secretariat on Monday. The family feud was blamed on Paras’ nephew.
The rift between Paras and Chirag Paswan has been blamed on a number of factors, including the former’s displeasure with his nephew’s decision to vote against the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar.
Ram Vilas Paswan, a former Union minister, founded the LJP in 2000. Paswan, a powerful figure in Bihar politics, died in October 2020.
As both groups fight for the legacy of the popular Dalit leader, the battle over the party’s ownership is likely to be decided by the Election Commission.
