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Pashupati Paras responds to Chirag Paswan's claims of 'illegal' party election
On Thursday, LJP elected Paras unopposed as the new party chief in an election. Chirag Paswan, son of Ram Vilas Paswan, founder of LJP and veteran politician, claimed the election was done by suspended members of the party.
Pashupati Kumar Paras, the newly elected national president of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), on Friday, hit out at nephew Chirag Paswan refuting his claims that Paras's election to the top post was "illegal" and was against the party's constitution. Speaking a day after the election, Paras underlined that Chirag is "neither LJP's national president nor the leader of the parliamentary party now" and said, "Yesterday's election was completely valid under the party's constitution, of which he is not aware," ANI reported.
On Thursday, LJP elected Paras unopposed as the new party chief in an election. Chirag Paswan, son of Ram Vilas Paswan, founder of LJP and veteran politician, claimed the election was done by suspended members of the party. "LJP's national president is elected by the party's national executive which has around 75 members. Only 9 members were present at the national executive meeting. Suspended members have elected my uncle as the president, which is illegal," he said. Chirag also said that he believes Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla is not aware of the party's constitution; hence he declared Paras as the leader of the parliamentary party.
Paras is the younger brother of Paswan who passed away in October last year due to a heat-related illness.
On Sunday, Paras along with five other Members of Parliament met Birla and handed over a letter to him seeking removal of Chirag Paswan as party chief and as the Lok Sabha Parliamentary party leader.
Om Birla accepted Paras as the floor leader of the LJP in the lower house.Later on Monday, Paras' name was added to the revised list of floor leaders of parties, as the Lok Sabha LJP leader.
On Wednesday, Chirag also wrote to Birla stating that the decision of announcing Pashupati as leader of LJP in the Lower House was contrary to the provisions of the party's Constitution. Chirag also requested the Lok Sabha Speaker to issue a new circular in his favour as leader of LJP in the House.
Earlier in the day, speaking on the feud, Birla said that the decision (of accepting Paras as the parliamentary party of LJP) was appropriate as there were signatures of five MPs and the letter of the chief whip," ANI reported.
"Choosing a parliamentary party leader is an internal matter of political parties. If a party follows the due procedure to choose the parliamentary party leader and the chief whip submits a letter informing the same, then the decision is to be recorded," he also said, as per the ANI report.
