Both father and son joined chorus with the opposition parties to demand the extension of Assembly election dates as saving the lives of people, they argue, is more important than holding polls.
The war of words within the National Democratic Alliance constituents has come out in open with the Lok Janshakti Party leaders Ram Vilas Paswan and son Chirag Paswan launching blistering attacks on the Janata Dal United and Bharatiya Janata Party and charged that both the parties are trying to isolate the LJP.
While the Union consumer affairs, food and public distribution minister and the LJP founder Ram Vilas sees bright future in his son and is of the view that he has the potential of becoming the chief minister of Bihar as both CM Nitish Kumar and RJD chief Lalu Prasad have passed their prime Chirag, on his part, has come down heavily on both the JDU and BJP leaders.
He has repeatedly been criticising the Nitish Kumar government for its total failure in dealing with the crisis arising after the spread of COVID-19 and floods. At the same time he hit out at the BJP leaders for not receiving any phone call and not responding to the concerns raised by his party. Chirag also said that he had not been able to talk to the chief minister over phone for the last one year.
Political observers are of the view that actually the dispute is over the seat sharing arrangements as the LJP has been demanding 43 seats and is calling for 100 seats each for JDU and BJP. Chirag also claimed that he had been assured by home minister Amit Shah about this formula.
Of late Ram Vilas and son Chirag have been repeatedly criticising the state government for its failure in distributing five kilo food-grains to the affected people as well as on poor law and order situation. They have also been critical of the way the whole migrant labour crisis was handled after March 24 lockdown which compelled about three million labourers working outside to return to home in Bihar.
Both father and son joined chorus with the opposition parties to demand the extension of Assembly election dates as saving the lives of people, they argue, is more important than holding polls. Senior Janata Dal United figure and the party leader in Lok Sabha Lallan Singh strongly criticised the LJP and alleged that the party is dancing to the tune of the Grand Alliance constituents.
The JDU spokesman K C Tyagi said that his party had an alliance with the BJP and not with the LJP. It needs to be recalled that the BJP and JDU contested Assembly election together last time in 2010. In 2015 Nitish’s party was a constituent of the Grand alliance and LJP was the partner of the BJP. Much depends on how the BJP handles the new situation.
In 2010 Janata Dal United fought on 142 seats and the BJP 101. Reports suggest that the JDU may agree to concede a handful of seats to the BJP as it is not in a position to yield much. In that case it may lose its bargaining position. In 2015 as a Grand Alliance constituent the JDU contested 101 seats, so did the RJD. The rest 41 seats were fought by the Congress.
