Was promised to stay on by a senior minister but evicted in a wrong way, says Chirag

The LJP leader vacated the 12, Janpath bungalow allotted to his late father and party founder Ram Vilas Paswan on March 30. He asserted he had no qualms in leaving the house because he had no intention of staying there forever.

PATNA: Lok Janshakti Party ( Ram Vilas) president and MP, Chirag Paswan on Sunday claimed that he as well as his mother felt ‘ cheated’ when officials came over to vacate the 12, Janpath sprawling bungalow in New Delhi a few days back despite having been assured by a senior union minister to stay put for a while.

LJP (Ramvilas) president Chirag Paswan during an event in Patna on Sunday. (Santosh Kumar/HT Photo)

“I knew I have to vacate the bungalow on April 30. But just a day before, I was assured by a senior union minister that I need not vacate it though I had not asked for an extension. I was betrayed and felt cheated. I know that I am not eligible for the bungalow and I had already prepared to vacate it on April 29,” the junior Paswan said while speaking to the media in Patna.

The LJP leader, who vacated the 12, Janpath bungalow allotted to his late father and LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan on March 30, asserted he had no qualms in leaving the house because he had no intention of staying there forever. “Those trying to set a narrative that I am peeved at leaving the house are all wrong. It is not an issue as I am a lawmaker. I am saddened and pained over the way the house was vacated,” he said.

Proving his point, the Jamui MP said he was pained over the way photo frames of his late father and Babasaheb B R Ambedkar were left all strewn outside the residence and some officials even trampled on it, during the eviction process, taking an oblique potshot at the NDA government in which he continues to be an ally.

“ I felt pained when I saw my father’s pictures and those of Ambedkar strewn all over. My father’s bed was also kept unattended. It was an insult to these big leaders and it could have been avoided because I had already vacated the house. My father died not long back and it really pained me as how officials treated his photo frames,” he said.

Asked whether he was not naming the senior minister who promised him to stay for a while at the bungalow out of fear of straining relations with the ruling BJP, the Jamui MP replied in the negative. “I have no problem in spelling out the name. If need be, I will reveal it. But this is not an issue as I have no qualms about vacating the house. My only complaint is the way I was evicted. It was humiliating,” he said.

Incidentally, Chirag praised the leader of the opposition Tejashwi Prasad and Congress leaders for showing solidarity with him after the house eviction but clarified that those coming in support of him were doing so because they probably too were saddened over the way photo frames of Ram Vilas Paswan and Ambedkar were mishandled.

“ I want to thank my younger brother Tejashwi for taking a stand on the issue. Many Congress, JD(U), and BJP leaders have called me to express their deep anguish over the way possessions of mine were kept outside the residence,” he said.

On Saturday, Tejashwi had taken a dig at the Central government by accusing that the central team that visited to vacate the 12, Janpath bungalow had insulted the Dalit community and constitution by putting photo frames of the LJP founder and Dalit icon Ambedkar outside the house in an offensive manner.

The Yadav scion had also took a dig at BJP over the way Chirag was evicted from the house, stating that “ BJP had set the house of its Hanuman on fire . This is the consequence of supporting the BJP . They already had broken the party and separated the leaders”. The reference to “Hanuman” was in the context of junior Paswan who has often expressed his devotion to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by saying he was like the companion of Lord Rama.

Significantly, Chirag dismissed speculations that his alliance with BJP had suffered a setback over the house episode and that there might be a realignment in days to come. “The house episode has nothing to do with the alliance or my standing in a coalition. There are no elections right away. But, yes, the BJP has not given respect to my late father who stayed with the party till his last breath. Respect is paramount in any alliance and I will not compromise on it,” he said.