LJP will win more seats than JD(U) in Bihar polls: Chirag

Patna: Continuing with his tirade against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Lok Janshakti Party president Chirag Paswan on Monday claimed that his party will win more seats than JD(U) in the Bihar polls. Launching a scathing attack on the chief minister, he said any vote to Kumar-headed JD(U) would “destroy” Bihar tomorrow.

Meanwhile, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav has criticised Kumar for not doing justice with Chirag. “What Nitish Kumar Ji did with Chirag Paswan is not good. Chirag Paswan needs his father at this time more than ever before but Ram Vilas Paswan ji is not among us and we are sad about it. Nitish Kumar did injustice to Chirag Paswan,” Tejashwi tweeted.

“The LJP will win more seats than the JD(U) and will build a new and young Bihar with the pledge of #Bihar1stBihari1st,” Chirag said in a tweet.

The regional party has announced the names of 95 candidates so far in two lists. Many deserters from BJP as well as JD(U) have taken taken shelter in the bungalow (election symbol of the LJP), and they have been fielded in the elections by the party. Chirag Paswan once again claimed that a BJP-LJP government will be formed in Bihar after assembly poll results are declared on November 10, and advised saffron party leaders not to use terms like “vote katua” (splitter of votes) against his party “just to keep Kumar happy”.

“I am pained at the term vote katua being used against the LJP,” he told PTI-Bhasha. “They should apply their own wisdom and not use such words just to make somebody happy,” he said, asserting BJP leaders are targeting his party at the behest of Kumar.

“I dont mind whatever BJP leaders say, because I know they are just putting words to the chief ministers thoughts, the 37-year-old son of the veteran Dalit leader said. Urging more respect from the BJP towards his late father and former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, he said they should not use such term for a party built painstakingly by somebody who was their colleague in the government just until 11 days ago.

“Ultimately, a BJP-LJP government will be formed in the state after November 10,” he said, and added the BJP should not say things that may hamper possibilities of a future coming together of the two. The LJP which has disassociated itself from the NDA in Bihar, has put candidates against JD(U) nominees in many places.

Chirag, who had initially said he would go all out against the JD(U) only, has pitted nearly half-a- dozen nominees against the BJP too. This included Raghopur seat where BJP”s Satish Kumar is taking on Grand Alliance chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav. Separately, the LJP president posted a series of tweets in which he severely criticised Kumar and his work in the past five years.

“The bureaucracy has ruled the roost over the past five years. None of the (Nitish Kumars) seven resolves (saat nishchay) has been fulfilled,” he said, demanding the chief minister to give a detailed account of the work done in the past five years of his rule.

“The sahib has destroyed Biharis just for power. Any vote given to the JD(U) will destroy Bihar tomorrow, Chirag said in one of his tweets. Meanwhile, Chirag performed shraddha ritual of his father Monday in his native village Sahabanni in Khagaria district.

Accompanied by cousin Prince Raj, who is also LJP”s Bihar unit president, Chirag performed “pind daan” at Fultaura ghat on the banks of river Bagmati and hosted fellow villagers as part of the rituals. He also paid a visit to house of Raj Kumari Devi, first wife of Ram Vilas Paswan, and took her blessings. Chirag has said that a similar shraddha function will be held in Patna Tuesday for which he has already sent invitations to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home minister Amit Shah, Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi, Rabri Devi and many others known to his father.