Union Minister and leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Chirag Paswan on Friday dismissed rumours of a rift between his party and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), reaffirming his unwavering support for Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Amid growing speculation, Paswan declared himself "inseparable" from Modi, stating that his loyalty will remain firm "for as long as he is Prime Minister."
Speaking to mediapersons, Paswan addressed the buzz around his political stance on various contentious issues, including Wakf Board reforms, lateral entry into the bureaucracy, and sub-categorisation within the Scheduled Castes.
He clarified, "My love for Narendra Modi is unshakeable.
I am inseparable from him as long as he is Prime Minister." He stressed that his views have always aligned with the government's stance, citing the recent example of the Wakf Bill being sent to the Joint Parliamentary Committee.
There have been speculations that Paswan, previously known for his loyalty as a junior ally, might be asserting his independence, especially in light of the BJP's declining numbers in the Lok Sabha.
The ruling party now falls short of a majority and is increasingly reliant on the support of allies to stay in power.
However, Paswan dismissed these rumours and expressed his willingness to contest the upcoming Bihar assembly polls as a National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partner if the BJP desires.
"Our party has an alliance with the BJP both in Bihar and at the Centre. We will abide by coalition dharma at the national level and in my home state. Although we have no pre-existing ties in states like Jharkhand, it does not mean we are averse to a tie-up with the BJP there. If the BJP and other NDA partners want us on board, we are game," Paswan affirmed, reiterating his party's commitment to the coalition.
Paswan also downplayed the significance of his estranged uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras' recent meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah.
Paras, who had split the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan in 2021, met Shah earlier this week, fuelling rumours of a realignment.
Some leaders in the opposition INDIA bloc suggested that Shah’s meeting with Paras was a signal to Paswan that he should remain compliant with the BJP, which still holds many political cards.
Paswan scoffed at these claims, stating, "He (Paras) has lost all public support. He had been meeting all people ahead of the Lok Sabha polls too. That exercise proved to be of no avail."
It is worth noting that Paras, who now leads the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, gave up his Union cabinet position in protest against his party not receiving any seats to contest in the Lok Sabha elections.
In a stark contrast, Paswan, the lone MP from LJP (Ram Vilas) at that time, managed to secure five seats in the polls, and the party won all of them. Paswan himself captured Hajipur, a stronghold of his late father, leaving Paras, who had won the seat in 2019, sidelined and discontented.
On a different note, Paswan was asked about the controversy surrounding Kangana Ranaut, the BJP MP and his "old friend," who was his co-star in his only Bollywood film.
Ranaut recently faced backlash for her comments about alleged rapes at the farmer protest sites, which she compared to the unrest in Bangladesh.
Paswan stated, "I think the matter should have been closed once the BJP made it clear that she had expressed a personal view which the party did not agree with."
However, Paswan expressed outrage over the comments made by Punjab leader Simranjit Singh Mann, who taunted that Ranaut seemed to have had a "personal experience of rape" herself.
"This is unacceptable. We cannot trivialise a crime that causes so much trauma to the victim, especially when the nation's conscience has been shaken by the horrific incident involving a doctor in Kolkata, which has evoked such strong remarks from the President, the highest constitutional authority," Paswan said.
Follow us
