Cross swords between the Lok Janshakti Party( LJP) and the Bhartiya Janta Party (BJP) had gotten shrill back on October 17. It happened only after the day when Mr Prakash Javadekar senior BJP minister slammed Mr Chirag Paswan and profoundly called him a ‘vote-katwa’ (vote-cutter), it was then that LJP had given BJP a sharp reply.
“If I am a vote-cutter, why did they (BJP leaders) align with us since 2014?,” enquired Mr Chirag, adding that the leaders of BJP are issuing unacceptable statements at the behest of Nitesh Kumar, the CM face of NDA (National Democratic Alliance).
He also added “I had not expected such statements from the top BJP leaders. They should exercise restraint while making such remarks. I am of the clear view that Nitish has to be ousted this election. If he becomes Chief Minister again, I will quit the NDA and prefer to sit in the Opposition,” said the LJP leader, whose father is late Ram Vilas Paswan, who was the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the first and second Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ministries.
Though LJP is a part of NDA at the Center, it is contesting the elections in Bihar on its own and has appointed 143 candidates who are mostly standing against nominees of JDU (Janta Dal-United).
Meanwhile BJP is seen to have suspended nine senior party leaders who were contesting the Assembly elections on LJP ticket.
Formerly Mr Chirag Paswan, was a member of NDA which was led by Mr Nitesh Kumar but is now seen contesting the polls separately. He has clearly revealed his intentions of staying loyal to PM Modi and BJP while his sole aim is to drive out Mr Nitesh Kumar from the CM’s seat.
On October 29, PM delivered a speech in Darbhanga, Bihar during the second phase of election campaigns wherein he clearly announced that NDA in Bihar composed of BJP, JDU, HAM and VIP. However, PM Modi didn’t mention Mr Chirag Paswan, Mr Nitesh Kumar’s arch-rival in today’s times, nor did he criticise the young leader who is continuously being accused by the senior leaders of BJP, of trying to delude the voters.
It is in the air that the top leaders of BJP are soft towards Mr Chirag Paswan, who claims to share a close relationship with BJP and PM Modi. He is off lately seen spitting fire against NDA candidate, Mr Nitesh Kumar frequently these days.
When PM Modi was delivering his speech in Darbhanga on Wednesday, Junior Paswan had tweeted stating that even a single vote cast in favour of Mr Nitesh Kumar would not only result in weakening Bihar but strengthen the Mahagathbandhan and RJD. He affirmed that after election results, Mr Nitesh Kumar is planning to part ways with BJP and join hands with RJD as he has formed a government with them in the past.
Mr Chirag Paswan, in his recent tweet, wrote that Bihar was infamous for the first 15 years and is in bad condition in second 15 years. He asked the blessing of people of Bihar in making the state first and “Nitish-free government.” He further wrote his party is contesting more seats than Mr Nitish Kumar and that BJP-LJP government will be formed after winning the election.
पहले 15 वर्ष बदनाम था बिहार
दूसरे 15 वर्ष में बदहाल है बिहार
लेकिन अब आप सब के आशीर्वाद से #नीतीशमुक्तसरकार कर #बिहार1stबिहारी1st बनाना है।@NitishKumar जी से ज़्यादा सीटों पर लोजपा चुनाव लड़ रही है और @NitishKumar जी से ज़्यादा सीटें जीत कर भाजपा-लोजपा सरकार बनेगी।#असम्भवनीतीश— युवा बिहारी चिराग पासवान (@iChiragPaswan) October 28, 2020
Despite his vicious attack on Mr Nitish, BJP hasn’t come forward to register complaints to the Election Commission of India instead resorted to mild rebukes.
Had it been the opposition parties like Congress and RJD, the reaction would have been stricter.
This attitude of LJP and BJP regarding each other has brought chaos in the minds of the voters. Mr Chirag Paswan’s unfiltered comments are bringing doubts within the supporters of BJP.
Mr Chirag Paswan, on his part, has tried to keep all the sections happy by distributing tickets to leaders with RSS backgrounds and vehemently praising PM during the election campaign. He went to the extent of calling himself “PM Modi’s Hanuman.”
