Updated: October 17, 2020 7:33:42 am
The president of the LJP, Chirag Paswan. (Proceedings)
AS Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan continues to reiterate his admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his ties to the National Democratic Alliance in the Center, even as he attacked JD (U) and Nitish Kumar, on Friday the BJP stepped up your efforts to distance yourself. of the.
Chirag Pawan wants to create confusion. In Bihar, BJP, JD (U), VIP (Vikassheel Insaan Party) and HAM (Hindustani Awam Morcha) are in the NDA. We do not have any alliance with the LJP nor are we part of the NDA. Chirag Paswan must not be confused or spread confusion, ”tweeted BJP general secretary in charge of Bihar Bhupender Yadav.
Yadav called Paswan’s comments about Nitish Kumar, who heads the NDA coalition in Bihar, “unfortunate.” “Chirag has contested the election of Lok Sabha in this coalition … In February, he was praising the government of Nitish Kumar … Now he indulges in the politics of lies for his personal interests.”
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The BJP also sent Union Minister Prakash Javadekar to confront Paswan. “We want to make it clear that we do not have relations with the LJP and we do not like this policy of sowing confusion,” he told the media in Delhi. Saying that the NDA would win a three-quarters majority in the state, Javadekar said: “The LJP is nothing more than a katua (vote-eater) vote and it will have no impact.”
The attack by BJP leaders against Paswan came a day after he claimed in an interview with NDTV that he had discussed his plans to run candidates against the JD (U) with Interior Minister Amit Shah and BJP President , JP Nadda. He said that when he spoke to Shah about it, the latter was “silent.” Paswan had also challenged Kumar to participate in the Assembly elections, asking why he had not participated in one since 2005 (Kumar is an MLC).
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It has been suggested that the LJP has been attacking the JD (U) at the behest of the BJP, as the latter attempts to emerge as the lead partner. A section of the BJP had wanted the LJP as a partner, given its 5 percent support base, especially among Dalits in the state.
Speaking to The Indian Express, BJP State President Sanjay Jaiswal denied any trucks with LJP, saying that BJP and JD (U) “enjoy warm ties” and have a “deep understanding.” Jaiswal also said that the BJP would approach the Election Commission if the LJP used Modi’s name in polls.
However, party sources admitted that there is confusion among BJP workers about the exact nature of the links with the LJP. One party leader said: “Your comments will not only create confusion, but will also damage our prospects.”
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The JD (U) has made clear its displeasure and has been emphasizing that the BJP clarifies the matter without ambiguity.
The BJP had previously expelled nine of its leaders who are competing against NDA candidates, some on the LJP ballot. The LJP released its second list of 53 candidates on Friday. In five seats, the LJP and the BJP will face each other, and Chirag Paswan has said it would be “friendly contests” between the two sides.
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