The ousted president of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), Chirag Paswan, on Wednesday registered his protest against appointment of his uncle Pashupati Nath Paras in the Union Council of Ministers. He had also challenged in the Delhi High Court Mr. Paras’s appointment as the parliamentary party leader by Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla.
In a series of tweets, minutes after a photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressing the new Council of Ministers where Mr. Paras can be seen sitting in the front row was released, Mr. Paswan said Mr. Paras had already been removed from the LJP for anti-party activities.
He said Mr. Paras might be a representative of the breakaway faction but not of the LJP. “I fully respect the Prime Minister’s right as to who he includes in his team and who he does not. But as far as the LJP is concerned Mr. Paras is not a member of our party,” Mr. Paswan said.
Mr. Paswan has already moved an application seeking a review of Mr. Paras’s appointment as the LJP parliamentary party leader with the Speaker. So far, there has been no action on it.
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“The Lok Janshakti Party has filed a petition in the Delhi High Court against the decision of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha,” Mr. Paswan informed.
Speaking in Bihar on Tuesday, he had said that the party would take legal recourse against Mr. Paras’ elevation to the Council of Ministers if he was appointed in the name of the LJP. “Making him a Union Minister on the LJP quota is not possible as the party’s executive board has expelled him. I have informed the Prime Minister through a letter. If he is appointed Minister as an MP of my party, I will move court but I have no problem if he is appointed Minister as an Independent MP or from the JD(U) after joining it.”
Last month, five LJP MPs who rebelled against Mr. Paswan had anointed Mr. Paras as the party president. Mr. Paswan and Mr. Paras are now caught in the ownership battle of the party. Both have staked claim to the party’s symbol of “Bungalow” in the Election Commission.
