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Battle for control over LJP: Chirag Paswan holds crucial meeting in Delhi
The Lok Janshakti Party witnessed a split last Sunday when five of the party's six MPs chose Chirag Paswan's uncle Pashupati Paras as their leader.
Lok Janshakti Patry (LJP) leader Chirag Paswan is holding a meeting of the party's national executive at his residence in New Delhi on Sunday. The meeting holds significance in the wake of struggle with his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras over control of the party.
"Most of the members were present at national executive meeting. The members condemned and opposed the use of party's symbol and name by expelled members," Paswan said after the meeting.
"My father's birth anniversary falls on July 5. My father and uncle are not with me anymore. So we've decided to take out an 'Aashirvaad Yatra' from 5th July from Hajipur. Yatra will pass through all districts of Bihar, we need more love and blessings from people," he added.
The 38-year-old also said that LJP leaders at the meeting demanded to confer Bharat Ratna upon Ram Vilas Paswan and install a big statue of him in Bihar.
The meeting is being seen as a show of strength in support of Chirag Paswan.
The party witnessed a split last Sunday when five of the LJP's six MPs chose Paras as their leader and even petitioned Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla to recognise Paswan's uncle as the party leader in the Lower House. The Lok Sabha issued a notification in this regard the next day.
However, Paswan said that the move by dissenting group violates the party's constitution and claimed that more than 90 percent of the national executive members are with him.
He met Birla on Saturday to present his case against the speaker's decision to accept the claim of the other faction declaring Paras as the leader of the party in Lok Sabha.
Paswan has argued that only the party's parliamentary board can take the decision on its leader in Parliament.
He has also moved the Election Commission, urging the EC to seek its view before taking a decision on any claim over the party by the other faction headed by Paras. The commission will now decide the battle over the party's ownership.
Paras has said that his election to the top post was completely valid under the party's constitution. "According to party's constitution, Chirag Paswan is neither LJP's national president nor the Leader of the parliamentary party now. Yesterday's election was completely valid under party's constitution, of which he is not aware," he said on Friday.
The LJP was formed in 2000 by Dalit leader from Bihar Ram Vilas Paswan, who died last year. While Chirag Paswan is his son, Paras is his youngest brother.
