New Delhi: Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras Tuesday asserted that he is the political “heir” of former Lok Janshakti Party chief and his late brother Ram Vilas Paswan, while Chirag Paswan will inherit only his father’s financial assets by law.
Ram Vilas Paswan, a veteran Dalit leader and a political heavyweight from Bihar, passed away in October 2020 after prolonged illness. His Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) split into two factions following differences between his son Chirag Paswan and younger brother Paras.
Talking to reporters on the sidelines of an event here, Paras also asserted that he will contest the 2024 Lok Sabha polls from the Hajipur seat in Bihar, claiming that Ram Vilas Paswan had asked him to fight from the constituency even in 2019.
He had asked “me to carry forward his legacy and fulfil his unfinished dreams”, said Paras, who heads the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) and represents Hajipur in Lok Sabha,.
Staking claim to his brother’s legacy, Paras said, “According to law, Chirag Paswan is the successor of Ram Vilas Paswan’s property. But I am the (political) heir of my late elder brother as was Lord Ram’s brother Lakshman in the Ramayana.”
“He (Ram Vilas Paswan) had asked me to contest from his Hajipur Lok Sabha seat after he was elected to Rajya Sabha, saying he trusted me more than anyone in the family. I was not willing to contest from the seat, but he made me join the fray from his constituency,” he claimed.
Paras’ assertion comes at a time when his nephew, Chirag Paswan, who heads the LJP (Ram Vilas), has keen on contesting from Hajipur in the 2024 general elections.
Both the LJP (Ram Vilas) and the RLJP are part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance.
Asked if there is any possibility of reconciliation between him and Chirag Paswan, Paras said,”Never”.
Referred to some past incidents, the RLJP chief said he and his family members will “never forgive Chirag” for the way he treated them when Ram Vilas Paswan was hospitalised and after his death.
“The BJP has brought Chirag into the NDA fold to prevent division of votes. I told them (BJP) that I have no problem with him coming to the NDA,” Paras said. There is no relation between political affairs and personal affairs, he added.
“When Chirag came to attend the NDA meeting (last month), he touched the prime minister’s feet and received his blessings. He then came to me and touched my feet as well, and I also blessed him from the core of my heart. But, an hour later, he staked claim over the Hajipur seat, saying he will contest from there,” Paras said.
He said he will never forgive him for that.
PTI