Chirag Paswan removed as LJP national president; ousted leader suspends five rebel MPs

Chirag Paswan on Tuesday was removed from the post of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) national president. This comes a day after five party MPs in the Lok Sabha rebelled against him in a coup led by his uncle and LJP leader Pashupati Kumar Paras. Paswan was removed after an emergency meeting of the LJP national working committee on Tuesday.

Why Chirag Paswan feels 'betrayed'?

In his first reaction after his uncle ousted him as the leader of the party in Lok Sabha, Paswan likened the organization to a mother who should not be "betrayed".

Paswan also shared a letter he had written to Paras, the youngest brother of his father, in March in which he had highlighted his uncle's unhappiness over a number of issues, including his elevation as the party president.

"I tried to keep the party made by my father as well as my family together, but failed. The party is like a mother and a mother should not be betrayed. In a democracy, the public is the most important. I thank the people who have faith in the party. I am sharing an old letter," he wrote in a tweet in Hindi.

pic.twitter.com/VAvFMbGgWw

— युवा बिहारी चिराग पासवान (@iChiragPaswan) June 15, 2021

Paswan was ousted on basis of the "One Man, One Post", said the rebel MPs, who have chosen former MP and LJP leader Suraj Bhan as the National Working President of the party until a new president is elected, according to a report by NDTV.

Bhan was also authorised to convene a meeting of the party's national council within five days to elect its new national president. The party has also given him the charge to conduct elections for the appointment of the party's national president, as per Mint

Meanwhile, supporters of Paswan smeared black ink on the posters of 5 LJP MPs including Pashupati Kumar Paras, outside the party's office in Patna, Bihar, reports ANI.

Bihar: Supporters of Chirag Paswan smear black ink on the posters of 5 LJP MPs including Pashupati Kumar Paras outside the party's office in Patna pic.twitter.com/J3K6KAhhXP

— ANI (@ANI) June 15, 2021

What happens to the five rebel MPs

On the same day as Chirag Paswan is removed from his post by an LJP faction led by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, the Lok Janshakti Party faction headed by Chirag Paswan on Tuesday expelled the five MPs of the party who had rebelled against him.

According to India Today, during the virtual meeting of the party's national executive on Tuesday, the five MPs were given notice but after they did not reply, they were suspended

Both factions moved swiftly to take control of the party a day after Paras, the youngest brother of Paswan's father and party founder Ram Vilas Paswan, was recognised by the Lok Sabha secretariat as the leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) in the House.

While Chirag Paswan has been isolated in the parliamentary party as all other MPs beside him have backed Paras, sources told PTI that he continues to draw support from other leaders in the organisation.

The matter is now likely to reach the Election Commission as both factions have claimed to represent the party.

The five MPs are Pashupati Paras, Prince Raj, Chandan Singh, Veena Devi, and Mehboob Ali Keshar.

Of the five MPs, two are related to the Paswan family —Hajipur MP Paras is Ram Vilas Paswan’s younger brother, and Samastipur MP Prince Raj is Paras’s nephew, reports The Indian Express.

What is new role of Pashupati Kumar Paras?

The five of the six Lok Janshakti Party MPs in Lok Sabha, who had joined hands against Paswan, elected Pashupati Kumar Paras, the youngest brother of Paswan's late father and party founder Ram Vilas Paswan, in his place, causing a big churn in Bihar politics.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat on Monday evening recognised Paras as the leader of the LJP in the House, a day after the five MPs informed Speaker Om Birla about their decision.

Paras lauded Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as a good leader and "vikas purush" (development-oriented man), highlighting the deep fault lines within the party as his nephew has been a strong critic of the supreme JD(U) leader.

"I have not broken the party but saved it," Paras, the MP from Hajipur, told reporters.

He asserted that 99 percent of LJP workers were unhappy with the turn of events in Bihar as Paswan led his party against the JD(U) and it fared poorly in the 2020 assembly polls.

The LJP has been on the brink of collapse, he said in reference to its poor show in the polls, and lashed out at "anti-social" elements in the party, an apparent pointer to a close aide of Paswan whose proximity to him has not gone down well with many party leaders.

Paras said his group will continue to be part of the BJP-led NDA, and added that Paswan can remain in the organisation.

Soon after Paras spoke to reporters, Paswan drove to his uncle's residence in the national capital to meet him. Paswan's cousin and MP Prince Raj also stayed there.

Paswan, who has not been keeping well for some time, waited for over 20 minutes in his car before he was let into the house and then left after spending more than an hour inside. He left without saying a word to waiting media persons.

It is believed that neither of the two rebel MPs met him. A household help said the two were not at home when the LJP chief arrived.

Paras had long been unhappy with Paswan's style of functioning and was joined by other MPs, including Chandan Singh, Veena Devi, and Mehboob Ali Kaiser, as they believed that his campaign against Nitish Kumar had left them at a disadvantage in the state's politics.

Kaiser has been elected the party's deputy leader.

The group is also likely to stake a claim in the Election Commission to represent the real LJP with its president now left isolated at the top after taking on the mantle following his father's death last year.

Sources close to him have blamed the JD(U) for the split, saying the party had long been working to isolate the LJP president after his decision to go all out against Chief Minister Kumar in the 2020 assembly polls.

The JD(U), which was for the first time reduced to the status of a junior partner to the BJP after it lost more than 35 seats due to the presence of LJP candidates, has been seething and had worked to woo over a number of LJP's organisational leaders to its fold. The lone LJP MLA joined the JD(U).

Paras denied the charge that Kumar's party had a role in the split.

How the BJP is reacting to the developments in LJP

The BJP, which has its share of pro-Paswan voices as well as his critics, maintained a silence over the matter, with some party leaders noting that it was an internal matter of the party.

Though he had left the ruling NDA in Bihar to fight independently in the Assembly polls, he has maintained a strong pro-BJP and pro-Prime Minister Narendra Modi stand.

With buzz growing about a reshuffle in the Union cabinet, political watchers believe that the development is aimed at thwarting Paswan's chances to join the government but it remains to be seen as to how the saffron party sees the implosion in the LJP.

As such, the equation between the BJP and the JD(U) has been far from smooth despite both parties sharing power in Bihar, and Kumar has been taking various measures to bolster his party's strength after suffering a setback in the assembly polls.

Paras is seen as more pro-Nitish Kumar than pro-BJP, and Paswan's complete marginalisation is not something many BJP leaders will wish even though a section of the party has been miffed with his conduct, sources told PTI.

That not a single MP, all of whom owe their current position to Ram Vilas Paswan, has stood by Chirag Paswan reflects poorly on him, they added.

What will also be a key aspect, while going ahead, is how core LJP voters, mostly members of the Paswan community, react to the development.

With inputs from PTI