Amid an inter-party revolt, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan on Tuesday, 22 June, spoke to news agency PTI and expressed that he was 'hurt' by Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) silence on the LJP split.
“I expected them (BJP) to mediate and try to sort things out. Their silence definitely hurts.”Chirag Paswan, as quoted in PTI
The BJP has referred to the regional political development as an "internal matter" and maintained silence on the issue.
Paswan, meanwhile, stated that his relation with the national party cannot be "one-sided" forever, saying that "if you are cornered, pushed and forced to make a decision, then the party will consider all probabilities... The LJP will have to make a decision about its political future based on who stood by it and who did not," PTI reported.
Paswan further reportedly asserted that his father, Ram Vilas Paswan, had always stood by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP "like a rock" and in turn, the party turned away from intervening during these "difficult" times.
He also alleged that Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's party had a "visible" role in splitting LJP, and added that JD(U) has a history of having a hand in encouraged defections.
He further stated that Kumar never wanted a Dalit leader to gain in stature and tried to weaken his father.
Speaking on PM Modi's possible expansion of cabinet, he expressed that if his uncle, Pashupati Kumar Paras is inducted in the PM's cabinet, it will not be acceptable to Paswan, PTI reported.
'Paswan Speaks Against Me for Publicity'
However, Kumar later claimed that his party had no role in the split.
"We have no role in it. It is their internal matter. He (Chirag Paswan) speaks against me for publicity. We have nothing to do with it," ANI quoted the leader as saying.
The JDU leader, who is presently in Delhi, also spoke about the speculated cabinet expansion saying, "This is a personal visit. I have come here for eye treatment. There is no plan (of meeting PM Modi during the visit). It will depend on PM Modi how and when he does it (Cabinet expansion). We have no information regarding this."
Background
Five out of six Lok Janshakti Party MPs in the Lok Sabha rebelled against party chief Paswan, and dismissed him as the head of the parliamentary party.
The coup was led by Paswan’s uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, though there are allegations that this has been done at the behest of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
Amid the power tussle, Paswan held a national executive meeting in Delhi on Sunday, 20 June.
This came a day after the Paras-led faction disbanded all bodies and state units affiliated with the party and announced a new national executive in response to his nephew’s meeting. He also claimed that Paswan cannot hold a party meeting since he’s not the president anymore.
However, Paswan has asserted that he has support from more than 90 percent of the national executive members.
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