Amid the ongoing rift in the Lok Janshakti Party, Chirag Paswan on Wednesday appointed Raju Tiwari as the party's Bihar unit president in place of Prince Raj.
LJP MP Prince Raj was appointed as the new LJP chief in Bihar in October 2019 in place of party leader Pashupati Kumar Paras.
The fiction in the party formed by late Ram Vilas Paswan became apparent after five LJP MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and handed over a letter to him regarding the removal of Chirag Paswan as party chief and from the position of Lok Sabha Parliamentary party leader.
A faction of the party led by Chirag Paswan's uncle Pashupati removed Chirag Paswan from the post of LJP president. The decision was taken at a meeting of five LJP MPs at the residence of Pashupati in Delhi. Following this, both Chirag Paswan and Pashupati claimed control over the party.
LJP leader Chirag Paswan on Wednesday blamed Janata Dal (United) for engineering the split in his party and rejected the decisions taken by the faction headed by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, saying the party's constitution does not authorise them any such power.
In his first interaction with media after the split in the party, he struck a combative note by describing himself as "sher ka beta" (lion's son) and asserted that he will fight for the cause of the party founded by his father Ram Vilas Paswan.
Paswan accused the JD(U) for working to split his party even when his father was hospitalised last year, and alleged that a conspiracy was hatched recently behind his back as he lay ill.
He, however, steered clear of questions regarding the role of the BJP in the development and added that what has happened is also an internal matter of his party for which he will not target others.
Though the LJP played the role of spoiler for the JD(U) in the assembly polls in over 35 seats, it itself won only one seat and the lone MLA later defected to Kumar's party.
Paswan, however, asserted that the polls were a "big win" for his party as it got nearly six per cent votes. Paswan has also contested Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's decision to name Paras as the leader of the party in the House, saying it is "contrary" to the constitutional provisions of his organisation.
In a letter written on Tuesday, Paswan also informed Birla of the party's decision to expel five MPs, who have joined hands against him, and urged the Speaker to review the earlier decision and issue a new circular naming him as the LJP leader in the Lok Sabha.
"Since Article 26 of the Constitution of Lok Jan Shakti Party empower Central Parliamentary Board of the party to decide who would be Leader of our Party in Lok Sabha, hence, the decision of announcing Sh. Pashupati Kumar Paras MP as Leader of LJP party in the Lok Sabha is contrary to provision of Constitution of our party," he wrote.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI)
