Paras has to decide if he wants to stand with PM Modi or oppose him: Chirag Paswan

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) MP Chirag Paswan said there was unanimity that he will contest from Hajipur. File.
| Photo Credit: PTI

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan said on March 20 that he is ready to take on Pashupati Kumar Paras from the Hajipur Lok Sabha seat but refrained from attacking his estranged uncle, saying it is for him to decide whether he wants to stand with Prime Minister Narendra Modi or not.

After a meeting of his party’s parliamentary board, Mr. Paswan said there was unanimity that he will contest from Hajipur while the names of candidates for four other seats will be announced in a few days.

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Asked about Mr. Paras’ decision to resign from the Union cabinet after the BJP chose to go with the LJP faction headed by Mr. Paswan and the possibility that his uncle may seek re-election from Hajipur, the Jamui MP said he is welcome to contest from there.

“It is for my uncle to decide. He has always said that he will always stand with PM Modi. Now he has to decide if he wants to become an obstruction in his path to achieve the target of winning over 400 seats for the NDA,” he told reporters.

Mr. Paswan said he has overcome many challenges in politics and is ready to face this, a reference to the prospect of an “uncle vs nephew” battle which can turn Hajipur into one of the most followed constituencies in the polls.

He noted that Hajipur was his late father and noted Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan‘s “karmabhoomi”, justifying his decision to shift from Jamui, which he won in 2014 and 2019.

Mr. Paras on Tuesday resigned as Union Minister as he accused the BJP of doing “injustice” with his Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) by excluding it from the seat-sharing deal with allies for the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar.

Mr. Paras’ announcement came at a press conference a day after the BJP-led NDA announced its seat-sharing pact and gave five seats to the Mr. Paswan-led LJP (Ram Vilas), ignoring his faction’s claims.