Patna:
Chirag Paswan, who lately faced an open reaction from the BJP ally to his criticism of Bihar’s chief minister Nitish Kumar, said today that he is “hurt” by the comments of the BJP leaders, but insisted his aim remains. establish a government with the BJP after the state elections. The leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP), warned by the BJP against using the image of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in its campaign, also described himself as “Hanuman” to the Prime Minister’s Ram.
“I don’t need photos of PM Modi. He is in my heart. Like Hanuman’s devotion to Ram, if you open my heart, you will only find ModiHee“Chirag Paswan, 37, stated dramatically.
It was Nitish Kumar who needed the prime minister’s photos the most, he scoffed, as he was “insecure.”
The LJP deputy, mourning the death of his father and Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan last week, also shared that Nitish Kumar had snubbed him and did not once express his condolences.
He said that when the body of Ram Vilas Paswan was transferred from Delhi to Patna, Nitish Kumar was at the airport to pay tribute, but did not recognize him. “I touched his feet and he ignored me. They all saw that,” he said.
“I’m surprised that due to our personal feelings, we even forget about shishtachar (courtesy).”
Chirag Paswan said the Chief Minister “had not said a word” to him or to his mother since his father’s death. He commented that he had hoped not to be so, given that Paswan senior and Nitish Kumar were former partners.
“We all met my mother and me and we mourn her death. The Chief Minister hasn’t said a word since Dad died. The Prime Minister spoke to me on the phone the day he died and came the next day. He kept his hands on my shoulder. for a long time … I still remember his reassuring words, “said Mr. Paswan.
After the Patna airport incident, the actor-turned-politician said, he had met Nitish Kumar two more times. “At the assembly he didn’t even look me in the eye. And at a subsequent tribute meeting, I approached him with folded hands, I got a little excited … but Nitish Kumar was unfazed. He still didn’t say anything,” he said. . the leader of LJP.
Chirag Paswan’s decision to contest the Bihar polls separately from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and fight Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal United (JDU) has left the BJP caught between two wrestling allies.
For the Bihar elections, the BJP has decided to side with Nitish Kumar, though it says Chirag Paswan remains an ally at the center. Yesterday, Paswan said that he had shared his intention to fight Nitish Kumar with the leaders of the BJP, including Amit Shah. He also unleashed a new series of lashes at the Chief Minister, calling him arrogant and accusing him of insulting his father.
The answer came today from the BJP.
“Chirag Paswan has chosen a different path in Bihar; he is trying to mislead people by taking the names of the main leaders of the BJP. We don’t have any B or C team. NDA will get a three-quarters majority. Chirag’s party will stay as a party without votes, “Union Minister Prakash Javadekar said today.
Another BJP leader, Bhupinder Yadav, said: “Chirag Paswan’s comments about the NDA and Nitish Kumar are extremely unfortunate. He challenged the election of Lok Sabha as part of this alliance and became a deputy. In February he was praising the government. from Bihar to heaven. What happened in six months? Due to his vested interests, he is indulging in the politics of lies. “
Paswan said his father would have been upset if he had heard these comments. “I know that Sushil Modi (BJP leader and senior deputy minister of Bihar) is being instigated by the senior minister because he is insecure,” he said.
He noted that this was not the first time that NDA allies had fought each other in polls. “The JDU opposed the BJP in Gujarat and Jharkhand,” he said.
The LJP leader also responded to the JDU’s mockery about using Nitish Kumar for their Lok Sabha campaign last year. “The JDU leaders opposed us during the campaign. Everywhere they betrayed us: in Jamui, Hajipur, Vaishali and Nawada. My father used to call the Chief Minister every day, until we realized that Nitish Kumar was with him. telling people to defeat the LJD.
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