Paras' strong remark: In a stern message to his nephew Chirag Paswan regarding the deadlock over the Hajipur Lok Sabha constituency in Bihar, Union Minister Pashupati Paras on Saturday (July 22) said that he will contest the next general elections from the same seat and “no power on Earth” can debar him from doing so.
The affirming remarks came after his nephew Chirag has been staking claim over the Hajipur seat which previously belonged to his late father and former union minister Ram Vilas Paswan.
Paras expressed confidence that the BJP-led NDA will back his claim on the constituency instead of Chirag’s claim who was “yet to become a part" of the coalition.
"I am a part of the NDA and there are no doubts about that. On the other hand, Chirag may have attended the NDA meet in Delhi but was not invited to the meeting of the alliance's MPs convened inside Parliament. This says it all," Paras said while addressing a press conference here.
No reconciliation with Chirag
He also debunked the speculations doing the rounds of a possible reconciliation between him and Chirag after the NDA meeting which took place on July 18 in New Delhi.
“I must debunk speculations of a thaw with Chirag which have arisen following photographs of him touching my feet, in Delhi, and me offering him my blessings. That is a part of the culture of Bihar and of the Mithila region to which we belong,” he said.
The Minister also rubbished the media reports that he might take the Rajya Sabha route like his late brother did in the final phase of his life.
"No power on earth can stop me from contesting Hajipur in the next elections. All such reports which say otherwise are like the noises made by frogs during the rainy season. You may hear these since it is an election year but there is no substance in such stories,” he said.
When asked that Chirag has staked claim over the Hajipur seat describing it the “karmabhumi” of his late father, Paras said, “Late Paswan was my brother, too.”
"Chirag should remember that I was never willing to fight the Lok Sabha polls, in first place. After filing my nomination papers from Hajipur, I had told reporters that I felt like having suffered a demotion. Many interpreted it as an admission of defeat. But I was merely pointing to the fact that I was already a minister in Bihar," Paras added.
Paras' big claims
He claimed that Ram Vilas Paswan had insisted him on contesting from Hajipur.
"When my brother told me he wanted me to fight from Hajipur, I initially showed my reluctance. I asked him to consider, for the seat, Chirag or his mother (Bhabhi ji). But my brother was insistent," claimed the Union minister.
Paras was inducted into the Union cabinet a few months after Paswan's death.
He further claimed that Paswan then wanted Chirag to concentrate on Jamui from where he was already an MP.
"I nurtured Alauli for decades, keeping the flag of my brother aflutter. This was the reason why he wanted me and none else to contest from Hajipur which he had represented so many times. Besides, my brother was mindful that Chirag was already an MP from Jamui and must concentrate on that seat,” he said.
The Chirag-Pashupati episode seemingly is ceasing to die down in the near future and is only expected to flare up as the 2024 Lok Sabha elections inch closer.
(With PTI inputs)
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