Patna, Aug 20 (IANS) After former Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras adopted a more conciliatory tone toward Union Minister Chirag Paswan, Arun Bharti, the Jamui MP from the Lok Janshakti Party Ram Vilas (LJPRV), commented that Paras needs more than just a change in language, he needs a change of heart.
Bharti, while speaking to the media in Patna on Tuesday, said, “If Paras genuinely desires unity within the family, his first step should be to reach out to Chirag Paswan and his mother and talk to them.”
The tension between Paras and Chirag Paswan escalated during the recent Lok Sabha elections. Paras had requested two to three seats in Bihar, including his stronghold Hajipur, but the BJP’s central leadership denied this request and instead allocated all five seats to LJPRV, led by Chirag Paswan.
This decision led to a strained relationship between the two leaders.
However, Paras’ stance has notably softened after the results of the Lok Sabha election as he publicly congratulated Chirag Paswan for his victory via his social media account on X.
In a further shift, Paras recently announced plans to contest all 243 seats in the 2025 Bihar Assembly election, as well as upcoming bypolls in Tarari, Ramgarh, Belaganj and Imamganj.
Arun Bharti, reacting to the upcoming bye-polls, emphasised the unity within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in Bihar, which comprises five political parties.
He stated that regardless of who the NDA candidate is for these bypolls, he would support them by campaigning.
Regarding the office in Patna, Bharti addressed the ongoing dispute between Paras and Chirag Paswan’s factions over the party office on Airport Road.
The office was initially allocated to the undivided Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) by the Bihar government.
Following the split, the office was claimed by Paras, but after the Lok Sabha elections, it was reallocated to LJPRV, led by Chirag Paswan.
“If the Bihar government assigns another office to LJPRV in a different location, they would have no objections but the matter is between the Bihar government and Paras. So, it is up to the Bihar government to decide on this matter,” Bharti said.
–IANS
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