A win for Nitish, blow to Chirag

NEW DELHI: PM Narendra Modi’s decision to induct LJP leader Pashupati Kumar Paras as a Cabinet minister and giving him the charge of food processing ministry has come as a major blow to Chirag Paswan who had claimed that he was aligned with BJP while putting up candidates against JD(U) in the Bihar assembly election.
A cornered Chirag had told reporters on Tuesday that he had written to Modi requesting him not to induct Paras on the LJP quota. He had even said that he would be moving court, if Paras found a berth in the Cabinet on the LJP quota.
The induction of Paras is also being seen as another win for Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and his JD(U) considering that Chirag had gone all out against Kumar in the assembly election.
Chirag said the PM’s right to include anyone in his team is respected. “But as far as the LJP is concerned, Paras is not a member of the party. Taking note of his activities like trying to break the party, if he is made minister as part of his splinter group, LJP has nothing to do with it,” he said.