While Bihar's politics has taken a twist with recent ousting of Chirag Paswan as the president of Lok Janshakti Party, Rashtriya Janta Dal's leader Tejashwi Yadav on Sunday reached out to the former LJP president.
Tejashwi Yadav backing Chirag Paswan said that the party leader can carry forward the legacy of his late father Ram Vilas Paswan only by joining the "existential fight" against the thoughts of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) ideologue MS Golwalkar. "The real tribute to him would be carrying forward his values and legacy and that is possible only when Chirag ji joins this existential fight against Golwalkar's 'bunch of thoughts'," the 31-year-old leader said.
While speaking to PTI, Tejashwi Yadav claimed that the BJP has "disposed of" and "abandoned" most of its old allies after coming to power.
Tejashwi recalled 2009 elections and said the RJD always stood by Ram Vilas Paswan, saying that when the LJP did not even have a single MLA and Paswan faced defeat in 2009, it was Lalu Prasad Yadav, who sent him to the Rajya Sabha from the Rashtriya Janata Dal quota.
"Our party has decided to celebrate Dalit messiah, Ram Vilas Ji's birth anniversary to commemorate his contribution to the state, I think this itself is self-explanatory," announced Yadav.
Chirag has already announced an "aashirvad yatra" from July 5, the birth anniversary of his father and LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan, from Bihar’s Hajipur.
Yadav had last week urged Chirag to quit the BJP-led NDA. While talking about his stance, Yadav said the country is at a point where pro-Constitution, pro-farmers, pro-democracy, and pro-people forces are on one side and those antithetical to this ideology are on the other side.
Commenting on Chirag's remarks in an apparent reference to Prime Minister Narendra Modi that it was not correct for 'Ram' to stay mum when 'Hanuman' is being killed, Tejashwi Yadav claimed that the BJP first "lures" political parties and leaders by promising them "the moon but the moment their system realises they are no longer of utility, they are dumped in a similar manner as a fly is thrown out of milk".
Late Ram Vilas Ji made Chirag Ji his heir apparent by appointing him as the party's national president and the parliamentary leader in Lok Sabha and it is up to him now as to how he carries forward his father's legacy," he added.
Nitish Kumar has "spared none and betrayed everyone", alleged Tejashwi Yadav.
