In the India Today Conclave held in Mumbai, Union Minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) leader, Chirag Paswan, answered several questions. During the session, he mentioned that he had the bravery to contest elections alone in Bihar, something no one else could do. Additionally, he commented on the Prime Minister's statement about being his Hanuman, asserting that it is a personal relationship and has no political implications.
The Lok Sabha coalition had a 100% strike rate, but in the 2020 Bihar elections, only one seat was won. Does this mean you need a crutch? To this, Chirag said, 'When you are in a coalition, you gain strength by joining forces. If you look at the history of Bihar, no party other than Chirag Paswan's had the courage to contest elections alone. At least I had the courage to do it. Not only did I contest, but I also won one seat and came second in 20 seats. We didn’t cut votes; we consolidated them. I consolidated 6% of votes even without contesting against BJP. If I had contested there, I would have consolidated 12-13% of votes.'
Do you see yourself as a CM face? He responded, 'It’s not a relevant question right now. It doesn’t matter. All constituent parties in NDA have clearly stated that the next election will be contested under the current Chief Minister’s leadership. I don't know who is claiming it will be Tejashwi versus Chirag Paswan. The election will be under Nitish Kumar's leadership, there is no doubt about that. I firmly believe he will be part of the coalition and is a strong component of it. He has made certain decisions that proved to be right for their interests.'
Is Chirag’s party limited to Bihar?
Chirag said, 'My father was different. He worked in central politics focusing heavily on Bihar. That was a different era with different policies and politics. Today, I do not want to limit myself. I envision the expansion of my party. Upcoming elections are in Jharkhand, where my party members are working. For example, in Nagaland, my party was strong. We contested there and have two elected representatives supporting the NDA. We also have councilors there. In the coming days, Punjab, Jharkhand, and several other states are where I am focusing on expanding my party.'
Dalits Are My Priority: Chirag
He stated, 'If you look back 2-3 years, everything was taken away from me. I was expelled from my party. I had nothing left. I had to start anew with a new party and a new symbol. I am happy that in the Lok Sabha elections, we had a 100% strike rate, winning all 5 seats. Dalits will always be my priority as I am one of them. Despite reaching the 21st century, there is still caste-based discrimination in villages. So, my priority is these people. If there is any caste-based discrimination in the country, my party and I will always stand for them. However, the issues faced by the youth and women of the country are also very important to me. I aim to work for their upliftment beyond caste lines.'
