Pashupati Paras invites RJD State President to join LJP

Patna : Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) Chief Jitan Ram Manjhi, Union Food Processing Industries Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras on Tuesday offered to Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) State President Jagadanand Singh to join the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) faction led by him.

Jagadanand Singh is angry with the recent statement of RJD National President Lalu Prasad’s elder son Tej Pratap Yadav, who publicly took indirect potshots at the former and said, “The ‘chair’ (post) is not the parental property of any leader in the party. It can be changed. Some people are behaving like Hitler.”

Tej Pratap Yadav made the statement during a youth meeting at the RJD headquarters in Patna a fortnight ago. Since then Jagadanand Singh, who is the current RJD State President has refused to assume charge.

“Jagada Babu (Jagadanand Singh) is a veteran leader of Bihar. He deserves respect and honour. I condemn the statement of Tej Pratap Yadav, who was responsible for humiliating such a senior RJD leader,” Pashupati Kumar Paras said.

“I am giving an offer to Jagada Babu to join LJP faction led by me. We will give him respect and honour of the highest level. It will be great joy and happiness for my party workers and leaders if he joins our party. We welcome him with open arms,” Paras added.

Paras, the brother of late LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan, was responsible for splitting the LJP. He was also rewarded with a cabinet berth in the Narendra Modi government. After the LJP split into two factions, the party faction led by him is trying to hog the limelight by highlighting the ongoing controversy within the RJD. Jagadanand Singh is also a senior leader from the upper caste community (Bhumihar) and Paras wants to strengthen his political base within the upper caste vote bank with the help of Jagadanand Singh.

HAM Chief Jitan Ram Manjhi had also made the same offer to Jagadanand Singh a week ago.

Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav, RJD leader and the Leader of Opposition in the Bihar Assembly, denied that Jagadanand Singh is angry with any of his party leaders.

Asked about Jagadanand Singh not attending the RJD office in Patna, Tejashwi said, “It is not necessary that he is angry with anyone in the party and hence is avoiding going there. It could be some personal reasons he might have.”