New Delhi: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan Saturday ‘strongly’ raised his party’s concerns and received ‘assurances’ in a meeting with Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP president JP Nadda amid a strong buzz about Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar rejoining hands with his former ally.
Following the meeting, Paswan told reporters he would first wait to see whether the Janata Dal (United) president joins the BJP-led alliance or not before finalising his party’s stand on the matter.
The son of the late Ram Vilas Paswan did not reveal what Shah and Nadda told him about political developments in the state.
Fissures between Kumar and his INDIA bloc partners have come out in the open with some BJP leaders, as well as the party’s allies, hinting that the Bihar chief minister is all set to switch sides yet another time.
Paswan said, “We have had our concerns which grew amid these reports but without any authorised information on the developments in Bihar. I strongly raised my concerns in the meeting and received assurances on many issues.” His party will finalise its stand when the situation becomes clear in the coming days, he said.
He, though, added that he had been in touch with BJP leaders lately and come to know that there is some “truth” in these murmurs, a reference to the reports of political realignment in Bihar.
Aware that some of its current Bihar allies, including Paswan and Upendra Kushwaha, have been politically antagonistic to Kumar, the BJP has reached out to them in the last few days.
Paswan was a key reason for the JD(U)’s poor show in the 2020 assembly polls and the souring of its relations with the BJP before Kumar snapped ties and allied with the RJD in 2022.
BJP allies have the apprehension that Kumar’s presence in the NDA may reduce their share of seats in the polls.
PTI