Day after coup, Chirag Paswan removed as LJP chief

Chirag Paswan, isolated by the coup in his Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) led by his uncle, was removed as party president in an “emergency meeting” of rebel MPs who are now calling the shots.

After removing him as the party chief, rebel MPs said that the decision has been taken while keeping the principle of ‘One Man, One Post’ in mind.

LJP rebels have chosen Suraj Bhan Singh as the new working president and election officer of the LJP. He has been asked to conduct an election for the new president within five days by calling the party’s national executive.

Paswan was the leader of the LJP parliamentary party and Parliamentary Board chairman besides the national president.

The development comes a day after five of the six Lok Janshakti Party MPs in Lok Sabha joined hands against their leader Chirag Paswan and elected Pashupati Kumar Paras, the youngest brother of Paswan’s late father and party founder Ram Vilas Paswan, in his place, causing a big churn in Bihar politics.

The Lok Sabha Secretariat yesterday recognised Paras as the leader of the LJP in the House, a day after the five MPs informed Speaker Om Birla about their decision.

Paras lauded Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as a good leader and “vikas purush” (development-oriented man), highlighting the deep fault lines within the party as his nephew has been a strong critic of the supreme JD(U) leader.

Today, Paswan, rapidly losing his grip on the LJP, posted an emotional tweet and shared a letter he had written to his uncle in March.

“I tried very hard to keep the party formed by my father and my family united, but I failed. Party is like a mother and we must never betray or mother. People are above all else in a democracy. I thank those who had faith in the party,” he wrote, sounding resigned.