Chirag Paswan calls on Lok Sabha Speaker, Paras disbands all LJP units

Chirag Paswan met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to present his case against the decision to accept the claim of the other faction declaring Paras as the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha.

The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) faction, headed by Pashupati Kumar Paras, on Saturday disbanded all bodies and state units affiliated with the party and announced a new national executive, while Jamui MP Chirag Paswan, along with his aides, called on Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla in New Delhi. The decision comes a day ahead of the national executive meeting called by the Paswan faction.

Chirag Paswan told the EC that the rebels had no locus standi to make the decisions that they had. (PTI Photo/Arun Sharma) (PTI)

With Paras as its president, all four other MPs figure in the executive – Chowdhary Mehbob Ali Kaiser and Veena Devi have been made the national vice-president while Chandan Singh and Prince Raj have been appointed as national general secretaries. In a letter, Paras said the other state committees and cells would be formed in due course.

Later in the evening, Paswan met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla to present his case against the decision to accept the claim of the other faction declaring Paras as the leader of the party in the Lok Sabha.

“I told the Speaker why he needs to review the decision. Our party’s constitution says the central parliamentary board has to clear all decisions. I am sure the Speaker was not aware of this party constitutional requirement. He can give them the status of a separate party, but Paras cannot be appointed as the party chief in the Lok Sabha,” Paswan said after the meeting.

Earlier this week, Paras and four other MPs ostensibly ousted Paswan from the posts of party president and leader of the party in the Lok Sabha.

On Friday, Paswan told the EC that the rebels had no locus standi to make the decisions that they had. He asked that they be barred from using the party symbol. “Only nine members elected Paras as the president of the party,” he had said and demanded a ban on the use of the party’s symbol and flag.

During the meeting with EC officials, while the Paswan faction submitted the names of 77 members, the Paras faction is yet to submit its list.

People familiar with the matter said that the list of members of the party’s National Executive Committee on each side is going to be an important evidence for the EC. “Both factions are claiming support of majority but nobody knows the exact number,” said an LJP leader who asked not to be named