Chirag to meet Amit Shah: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan is likely to meet Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the national capital amid buzz of his return to the NDA ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
Paswan is in Delhi and has sought time from Shah for the meeting, sources said, adding that he has not got an appointment so far.
This comes after the LJP (Ram Vilas) chief dropped hints of joining the NDA for which he had campaigned in the recent by-polls in Bihar.
According to the sources, Paswan has put forth his terms and conditions before the BJP for the alliance. He has sought nearly 6 to 7 seats in Lok Sabha and 1 seat in Rajya Sabha in the upcoming elections.
He has also told the BJP that he would not join any alliance of which his uncle Pashpati Paras would be a part.
“Paswan has asked the BJP to declare the Lok Sabha seats on which his party would contest well in advance. He also wants to prioritise defeating Surjabhan Singh, who he blames for the split in his party and family, from Nawada,” sources said.
Chirag meets Union minister
A day ago, a meeting took place between Paswan and senior BJP leader and Union minister Nityanand Rai who termed the residence of the Paswans as his ‘second home’.
When Chirag was asked about the possibility of joining the NDA, he said, “It will be against the ‘maryada’ (decorum) of a coalition for me to make any announcement before them. The alliance (NDA) is likely to hold another round of talks before making up its mind”.
While Chirag’s affinity towards the BJP and his admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi are well known, there is a proverbial thorn in the flesh. His uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who had led a revolt soon after his father’s death that resulted in a split in the LJP, is a minister in the Union cabinet.
Both uncle and nephew have cleared on numerous occasions that they will not be part of any coalition that includes the other.
Chirag did not make any fresh statement about his uncle on Sunday, though he made it clear that his party will “without any doubt” contest the Lok Sabha polls from Hajipur, which is father had nurtured during numerous terms and is currently held by his uncle.
Chirag, who is a second-term MP from Jamui, was asked whether he, too, has been offered a berth in the Union council of ministers.
“My decision to be part of a coalition will be influenced more by prospects in Lok Sabha and assembly polls than a ministerial berth,” he said.
Chirag had revolted against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in the 2020 assembly polls, fielding candidates against the JD(U), which saw its tally fall drastically.
(With PTI inputs)
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