'Respect Us Or We Walk Out...': RLJP Chief Pasupati Paras's Ultimatum To BJP Amidst Bihar Candidate List Delay

RLJP chief Pashupati Paras indicates his party may walk out of NDA if not give "due respect" Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras on Friday alleged that the BJP has not treated his LJP faction fairly and suggested that he might leave the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA), stating that they have the freedom to explore the "doors are open." While talking to media he showed his dissatisfaction on the BJP alliance as the party finalised a seat-sharing agreement with his nephew Chirag Paswan, who leads a separate faction of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) on the Hajipur constituency. This deal overlooked the Union minister's assertion of rights over several Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, including Hajipur.

"Today, our parliamentary board members held a meeting. According to media reports, the NDA has not given our party due preference in seat-sharing in Bihar. Because of this, there is a lot of disappointment among our party workers," the RLJP leader was quoted as saying by PTI. “We will wait for the official announcement of the NDA candidates in Bihar and then take a decision,” he added. Paras showed that he is firm on the decision of contesting from Hajipur and other party MLAs from the seats they were elected in 2019 Lok Sabha. 

#WATCH | Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party president Pashupati Kumar Paras says, "...We had a meeting of our Parliamentary Board today. The members have decided that unless all the BJP's lists (of candidates) are released, we urge their national president, Prime… pic.twitter.com/roOmL5oamD

— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2024

Following the demise of Ram Vilas Paswan in 2020, the Lok Janshakti Party divided into two factions. Paras, his brother, leads the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP), while his son, Chirag Paswan, leads the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), both factions being part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). 

During a press conference, Paras expressed dissatisfaction with the BJP's handling of seat-sharing in Bihar for the Lok Sabha elections, stating that his party did not receive the expected consideration. He urged the BJP leadership to reconsider its decision, highlighting RLJP's status as a steadfast ally with five MPs in the state. Paras emphasised that his party has maintained its alliance with the BJP faithfully. However, he remarked that his party's interests have not been adequately addressed. He stated that they would wait for the BJP's official candidate announcements before making a decision.