Chirag plotting to kill me: Paras

Union food processing minister and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party president Pashupati Kumar Paras on Monday alleged that his estranged nephew and LJP (Ramvilas) president Chirag Paswan was plotting to kill him and sought protection from union home minister Amit Shah and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar

Union food processing minister and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party president Pashupati Kumar Paras on Monday alleged that his estranged nephew and LJP (Ramvilas) president Chirag Paswan was plotting to kill him and sought protection from union home minister Amit Shah and Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar.

Union minister and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party president Pashupati Kumar Paras addresses a press conference in Patna on Monday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

Addressing a press conference on Monday, Paras said, “Chirag was behind attack on me at Hajipur recently. When they failed there, I was attacked at the Chauharmal fair organized at Mokama on Saturday with the intention of killing me. But I narrowly escaped.”

The union minister said he had got evidences of the intention behind the attack at Mokama. “Based on this, we have registered an FIR against Chirag Paswan’s close aides Amar Azad and Sanjay Ravidas. Letters have been sent to chief minister Nitish Kumar and Union home minister Amit Shah, demanding a high-level inquiry into these incidents,” Paras said.

The union minister alleged that Chirag Paswan has been conspiring to get him killed for a long time. “I was already apprehensive about it. Union Home Minister Amit Shah has taken up the matter,” he said.

On Saturday, Paras’s vehicle was attacked by some people in Charadih village of Tal area under Ghoswari block of Patna district. Stones, bottles of water and cold drinks were thrown at the vehicle. A scuffle also broke out between two groups after which police had to use mild force to rescue the union minister to safety.

LJP (Ramvilas)’s spokesperson Ashraf Ansari denied the allegations. “It is a laughable allegation. His party’s state unit president Prince Raj said the other day that the protest was against Chirag Paswan and Pashupati Paras is saying something else. The public knows who had conspired against whom,” he said.

LJP had own six seats in the 2019 parliamentary elections. Later, Paras, along with five MPs, rebelled against their leader Chirag Paswan and the party eventually split.

Chirag Paswan, Lok Sabha MP from Jamui, heads LJP (Ramvilas).