As five Lok Janshakti Party MPs out of the total six rebelled against party president Chirag Paswan, Janata Dal (United) president R.C.P. Singh on Monday said, “as you sow, so shall you reap”.
Some JD(U) leaders like party MP Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan Singh and Maheshwar Hazari are said to have played an important role in the LJP rebellion. Ever since the last Assembly polls, in which Mr. Paswan put up candidates against JD(U) leaders despite being in the NDA and that resulted in the defeat of JD(U) candidates in nearly 30 seats, both the NDA constituents had been at loggerheads. Of late, hundreds of local LJP leaders had switched their political loyalty either to the JD(U) or the RJD.
Cabinet berth for uncle?
Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and some senior JD(U) leaders who are said to be close confidantes of him, party sources said, were waiting for an opportune moment to take revenge on Mr. Paswan, who was also not on good terms with his uncle and first-time party MP from Hajipur Pashupati Kumar Paras. Mr. Paras has all along been maintaining good relations with Mr. Kumar. Now, with Mr. Paswan checkmated by Mr. Kumar on his home turf, the buzz in political circles is that Mr. Paras may get a berth in the Union Cabinet in a reshuffle that is likely to be done before the monsoon session of Parliament. The other four LJP MPs, including Prince Raj, cousin of Mr. Paswan, too were nursing grudges against him on one pretext or another.
“Chirag Paswan was heading a party which was with the NDA. Yet, he adopted a stance that damaged it in the Assembly polls. This led to a sense of unease within his own party”, said Mr. RCP Singh, who had recently hit the headline, saying “all NDA constituents should get participation in the Union Cabinet”. Earlier, in May 2019, his name was doing the rounds for being inducted into the Union Cabinet, but demanding “proportionate representation instead of symbolic participation”, Mr. Nitish Kumar, then JD(U) chief, opted out from joining the Cabinet.
LJP leaders in Bihar told The Hindu that such a crisis in party was waiting to happen after the Assembly elections. “It was sheer arrogance of Chirag Paswan and himself keeping a close coterie of a few party leaders to heed and act only on their advice, finally led the party to such a sorry state”, said a senior leader. “We’re totally confused where to go and with whom at this juncture”, he quipped while requesting for anonymity.
