LJP tussle: ‘I was expecting my prime minister to stand by me,’ says Chirag Paswan

Chirag Paswan, who is facing a coup within his Lok Janshakti Party, on Friday said he had expected a call from Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his “difficult time”, reported NDTV.

“Let us address the elephant in the room,” he told the news channel when asked about feeling let down by the Bharatiya Janata Party. “When initially I was going through a low phase [after the party coup], I was expecting my prime minister to stand by me. But soon, I realised it is for me to clear up the mess on my own.”

Paswan recalled how he supported Modi even on matters like the abrogation of Jammu and Kashmir’s special status and the Citizenship Amendment Act when Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) refrained from making its stand clear.

“I am the hanuman for PM,” said Paswan drawing an analogy from the epic Ramayana. “Hanuman did everything possible for his Ram. I did everything possible for my prime minister, supported him wholeheartedly in every decision.”

The LJP plunged into a crisis earlier in June when five of its six Lok Sabha MPs rebelled against Paswan and told Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla that they have chosen Pashupati Kumar Paras as the party’s leader in Parliament. Paras…

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