News Analysis India

Tag: Chirag Paswan

  • Modi cabinet: K Ram Mohan Naidu youngest, Jitan Ram Manjhi oldest in PM Modi’s Council of Ministers

    New Delhi, At 36, Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu is the youngest minister while 79-year-old Jitan Ram Manjhi is the oldest minister to be inducted in the 18th Lok Sabha. Naidu, Srikakulam MP from Telugu Desam Party (TDP), was sworn in as a minister of state (MoS) in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s new Council of Ministers. Another young minister is Raksha Khadse (37), an MP from Maharashtra. She won the Raver Lok Sabha seat in Maharashtra. Manjhi was sworn in as a Union Cabinet Minister in Modi 3.0 government. He has served as the 23rd chief minister of Bihar, and is the founding president of Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM).

    Previously, Manjhi had served as the minister for scheduled castes and scheduled tribes welfare in Nitish Kumar’s Cabinet. He won the Gaya seat in 2024 general elections.

    Some of the other young ministers include Chirag Paswan and Jayant Choudhary. PM Modi, along with his 71 ministers, took oath on Sunday as the new coalition government was formed after two full tenures in which the BJP enjoyed a majority on its own.

  • Who Is Sambhavi Choudhary? Youngest ST Lok Sabha Candidate And LJP’s Nominee From Samastipur |

    The Lok Janshakti Party, led by Ram Vilas, announced its chosen contenders for all five constituencies on Saturday in the Lok Sabha elections, following the NDA’s agreement on seat allocation. Chirag Paswan, the party’s leader, will be running from Hajipur, while his brother-in-law Arun Bharati has been nominated for Jamui, aiming to uphold the constituency’s legacy, previously represented by Chirag in two terms in the Lok Sabha. 

    A notable inclusion in the lineup is the selection of Sambhavi Choudhary, the daughter of JD (U) Minister Ashok Kumar Choudhary, to stand for the reserved seat of Samastipur. Sambhavi, aged 25 years and nine months, hails from a family deeply rooted in politics, making her the youngest Dalit woman candidate to vie in the Lok Sabha elections.  

    Who is Sambhavi Choudhary?  

    At 25 years old, she is the youngest Dalit woman contender in the Lok Sabha elections. Her grandfather, Mahavir Choudhary, held a ministerial position in Bihar under the Congress Party.  

    After obtaining her master’s degree in sociology from the Delhi School of Economics, Sambhavi embarked on her doctoral studies, focusing on the “intersectionality of gender and caste in Bihar politics.” She completed her undergraduate studies at Lady Shri Ram College. Sambhavi is married to Saayan Kunal, the son of Acharya Kishore Kunal, a philanthropist and scholar who previously served as an IPS officer. Acharya Kishore Kunal is renowned for his efforts in appointing several Dalit priests in Bihar temples.  

    Sambhavi Choudhary said that she feels immensely honoured to have been afforded the opportunity to participate in the Lok Sabha elections at such a young age. She added that it instills a profound sense of responsibility, particularly considering my family’s political legacy and the exemplary standards set by my father and grandfather, as reported by The Indian Express.  

    Sambhavi got married to Shayan Kunal, the son of former IPS Kishor Kunal. According to her Facebook profile, she completed her Ph.D. in sociology from Amity University. Speaking of her job profile, she holds the position of director at Gyan Niketan School in Patna. Besides this, she actively participates in social activities. 

  • Lok Sabha Polls: In Bihar, BJP Nears Seat Sharing Deal With Chirag Paswan, JDU

    Last night, Chirag Paswan held a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda but a formal decision of seat-sharing is yet to be announced. 

  • LJP chief Chirag raises questions on caste-based survey, alleges Paswans not counted properly

    Express News Service

    PATNA: LJP (Ram Vilas) chief and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan on Wednesday questioned the authenticity of the caste-based survey report and claimed that members of the Paswan caste were not counted properly.

    The caste-based survey report was published on Monday as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had convened an all-party meeting on Tuesday to share details of the data collected during the survey.

    Chirag’s party is the constituent of NDA and is known for his hard criticism of Nitish.

    LJP (Ram Vilas) chief said that people of Paswan caste had not been counted in the caste-based survey properly, alleging that the survey was conducted with a political motive. He claimed that the population of some castes had been shown rising and that of some castes reducing, adding, that members of the Paswan caste were not covered properly in the survey. 

    The Bihar government has not released the socio-economic data of the survey so far. After the release of the data, the state government will have information about the economic, occupational and educational qualifications of every caste, sub-caste, religion, and community.

    The socio-economic data will reveal how much land one has, whether he has a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler, whether he has cultivable land or whether he has a kutcha house for living or a permanent house. Meanwhile, AIMIM MLA Akhtarul Iman claimed that the survey report was incomplete and a lot of effort had to be made to rectify errors.

    He claimed that the Muslim population in the Seemanchal region of the state had not been counted properly. He said that the state government should formulate policies for the betterment of economically and socially weaker sections of the society, particularly of the Muslim population. AIMIM had raised the demand for raising reservation quota on the basis of the caste survey report. The CPI-ML, which is also a constituent of the grand alliance, had lent its support to the AIMIM’s demand. 

    PATNA: LJP (Ram Vilas) chief and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan on Wednesday questioned the authenticity of the caste-based survey report and claimed that members of the Paswan caste were not counted properly.

    The caste-based survey report was published on Monday as Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had convened an all-party meeting on Tuesday to share details of the data collected during the survey.

    Chirag’s party is the constituent of NDA and is known for his hard criticism of Nitish.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    LJP (Ram Vilas) chief said that people of Paswan caste had not been counted in the caste-based survey properly, alleging that the survey was conducted with a political motive. He claimed that the population of some castes had been shown rising and that of some castes reducing, adding, that members of the Paswan caste were not covered properly in the survey. 

    The Bihar government has not released the socio-economic data of the survey so far. After the release of the data, the state government will have information about the economic, occupational and educational qualifications of every caste, sub-caste, religion, and community.

    The socio-economic data will reveal how much land one has, whether he has a two-wheeler or a four-wheeler, whether he has cultivable land or whether he has a kutcha house for living or a permanent house. Meanwhile, AIMIM MLA Akhtarul Iman claimed that the survey report was incomplete and a lot of effort had to be made to rectify errors.

    He claimed that the Muslim population in the Seemanchal region of the state had not been counted properly. He said that the state government should formulate policies for the betterment of economically and socially weaker sections of the society, particularly of the Muslim population. AIMIM had raised the demand for raising reservation quota on the basis of the caste survey report. The CPI-ML, which is also a constituent of the grand alliance, had lent its support to the AIMIM’s demand. 

  • Chirag Paswan urges PM to solve medical students’ problems after their return from Ukraine

    Express News Service

    PATNA: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)’s chief and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to solve the problems of those students who returned to the country from war-torn Ukraine last year. The Centre had launched Operation Ganga to evacuate students who got stranded in Ukraine following the invasion by Russia.

    Providing details of problems being faced by the medical students of Bihar and other parts of the country after they were evacuated from Ukraine, Chirag requested Modi to sort out their problems at the earliest. He said nearly 1050 medical students from different parts of Bihar studying in Ukraine were brought back to their home districts safely in the middle of the war under Operation Ganga. He said that these students were facing serious difficulties now and were moving from pillar to post and also passing through mental agony due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

    The next academic session is likely to start in September, he pointed out. “You got them out of the middle of the war but now they need your help to save their career. All the students (Batch September-2021 and Batch February-2022) are waiting daily for the war to stop,” Chirag wrote to the PM in his letter.

    These medical students want that the Centre should provide them with a one-time transfer so that they can enrol themselves in the medical institute of any other foreign country so that all their problems can be solved. All these students are demanding transfer because it is not possible for them to return to Ukraine in the atmosphere of war and also they cannot do their medical studies online for long. Chirag said that a delegation of students who had returned from Ukraine had met him personally and informed him that even during the Crimea-Russia war in 2014, Indian students were granted transfer facilities so that they could study in other countries.

    He informed that students during the meeting also told him that the new session of these students was going to start in September this year and so the Centre should take a concrete step on the matter by the end of August by understanding their dilemmas and problems. LJP (Ram Vilas) leader said that many students had taken loans and enrolled in Ukraine for their medical studies so that by studying there they could bring laurels to themselves and their country in the field of medicine. He said that students could be saved from going back to Ukraine if the Centre initiated steps for providing transfer facilities to students.

    PATNA: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas)’s chief and Jamui MP Chirag Paswan has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, urging him to solve the problems of those students who returned to the country from war-torn Ukraine last year. The Centre had launched Operation Ganga to evacuate students who got stranded in Ukraine following the invasion by Russia.

    Providing details of problems being faced by the medical students of Bihar and other parts of the country after they were evacuated from Ukraine, Chirag requested Modi to sort out their problems at the earliest. He said nearly 1050 medical students from different parts of Bihar studying in Ukraine were brought back to their home districts safely in the middle of the war under Operation Ganga. He said that these students were facing serious difficulties now and were moving from pillar to post and also passing through mental agony due to the ongoing war in Ukraine.

    The next academic session is likely to start in September, he pointed out. “You got them out of the middle of the war but now they need your help to save their career. All the students (Batch September-2021 and Batch February-2022) are waiting daily for the war to stop,” Chirag wrote to the PM in his letter.googletag.cmd.push(function() {googletag.display(‘div-gpt-ad-8052921-2’); });

    These medical students want that the Centre should provide them with a one-time transfer so that they can enrol themselves in the medical institute of any other foreign country so that all their problems can be solved. All these students are demanding transfer because it is not possible for them to return to Ukraine in the atmosphere of war and also they cannot do their medical studies online for long. Chirag said that a delegation of students who had returned from Ukraine had met him personally and informed him that even during the Crimea-Russia war in 2014, Indian students were granted transfer facilities so that they could study in other countries.

    He informed that students during the meeting also told him that the new session of these students was going to start in September this year and so the Centre should take a concrete step on the matter by the end of August by understanding their dilemmas and problems. LJP (Ram Vilas) leader said that many students had taken loans and enrolled in Ukraine for their medical studies so that by studying there they could bring laurels to themselves and their country in the field of medicine. He said that students could be saved from going back to Ukraine if the Centre initiated steps for providing transfer facilities to students.

  • ‘I practise politics of positivity’: Chirag hits back at JDU after being blamed for its decline

    By PTI

    PATNA: Former Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan on Sunday hit back at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), which has accused him for its own debacle in the 2020 assembly polls.

    Paswan came out with a flurry of tweets in response to allegation of “Chirag model at work” by JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan at a press conference here.

    “I practise politics of positivity and do not represent any model. Those who had engineered infights are now themselves faced with internal strife. They would do well not look for causes out on the streets,” Paswan tweeted.

    The allusion was to the rebellion by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, which led to a split in the LJP founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, and turmoil in the JD(U) following former national president RCP Singh’s resignation.

    He also took a veiled dig at Kumar over speculations of yet another political volte-face, drawing an analogy from the Mahabharata.

    “Like Kansa, he is trying to kill every child of Devaki. First, it was my turn. Now it is of RCP. But he is not aware of the incarnation of Krishna, his political slayer. Even jumping ship will be of no help this time,” Paswan added in a cryptic tweet.

    PATNA: Former Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan on Sunday hit back at Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s JD(U), which has accused him for its own debacle in the 2020 assembly polls.

    Paswan came out with a flurry of tweets in response to allegation of “Chirag model at work” by JD(U) president Rajiv Ranjan Singh alias Lalan at a press conference here.

    “I practise politics of positivity and do not represent any model. Those who had engineered infights are now themselves faced with internal strife. They would do well not look for causes out on the streets,” Paswan tweeted.

    The allusion was to the rebellion by his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, which led to a split in the LJP founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, and turmoil in the JD(U) following former national president RCP Singh’s resignation.

    He also took a veiled dig at Kumar over speculations of yet another political volte-face, drawing an analogy from the Mahabharata.

    “Like Kansa, he is trying to kill every child of Devaki. First, it was my turn. Now it is of RCP. But he is not aware of the incarnation of Krishna, his political slayer. Even jumping ship will be of no help this time,” Paswan added in a cryptic tweet.

  • Chirag in NDA meet on presidential poll preparation, says his presence due to support to Murmu

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan on Sunday attended a meeting of the BJP-led NDA on the presidential poll preparation, a significant development as he had kept away from the ruling alliance’s gatherings after walking out of the coalition during the 2020 Bihar assembly polls.

    Paswan, however, told PTI that attending the meeting did not mean he was again a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

    The second-term Lok Sabha MP walked into the venue of the meeting along with several other MPs, mostly from the BJP, where a demonstration on the voting for the presidential poll was given on the eve of the election.

    The Jamui MP, however, said later that his presence at the meeting was because of his support to the ruling alliance’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

    She also joined the MPs later.

    Paswan said he was invited to attend the meeting.

    “It does not mean that I am part of the NDA,” he told PTI.

    Paswan had quit the NDA in Bihar due to his opposition to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), the biggest alliance member after the BJP.

    He had then claimed that he remained a BJP ally at the national level and had quit the grouping in Bihar for state-specific reasons.

    However, the JD(U)’s stiff resistance ensured that he did not attend NDA meetings.

    The BJP’s invitation to him to attend a ruling alliance’s meeting ahead of Parliament’s budget session had invited a sharp reaction from Kumar’s party, leading to Paswan skipping it.

    JD(U) MPs, including its president Lalan Singh, also attended the meeting held in the Parliament complex on Sunday.

    Paswan’s relations with the BJP had also soured after his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras split the Lok Janshakti Party and was joined by all other party MPs.

    The Paras faction was recognised as the real LJP in Lok Sabha, and he was sworn in as a minister in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.

    Chirag Paswan had also taken swipes at the BJP following his eviction from a government bungalow, first allotted to his father and stalwart Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan.

    NEW DELHI: Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan on Sunday attended a meeting of the BJP-led NDA on the presidential poll preparation, a significant development as he had kept away from the ruling alliance’s gatherings after walking out of the coalition during the 2020 Bihar assembly polls.

    Paswan, however, told PTI that attending the meeting did not mean he was again a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

    The second-term Lok Sabha MP walked into the venue of the meeting along with several other MPs, mostly from the BJP, where a demonstration on the voting for the presidential poll was given on the eve of the election.

    The Jamui MP, however, said later that his presence at the meeting was because of his support to the ruling alliance’s presidential candidate Droupadi Murmu.

    She also joined the MPs later.

    Paswan said he was invited to attend the meeting.

    “It does not mean that I am part of the NDA,” he told PTI.

    Paswan had quit the NDA in Bihar due to his opposition to Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United), the biggest alliance member after the BJP.

    He had then claimed that he remained a BJP ally at the national level and had quit the grouping in Bihar for state-specific reasons.

    However, the JD(U)’s stiff resistance ensured that he did not attend NDA meetings.

    The BJP’s invitation to him to attend a ruling alliance’s meeting ahead of Parliament’s budget session had invited a sharp reaction from Kumar’s party, leading to Paswan skipping it.

    JD(U) MPs, including its president Lalan Singh, also attended the meeting held in the Parliament complex on Sunday.

    Paswan’s relations with the BJP had also soured after his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras split the Lok Janshakti Party and was joined by all other party MPs.

    The Paras faction was recognised as the real LJP in Lok Sabha, and he was sworn in as a minister in the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government.

    Chirag Paswan had also taken swipes at the BJP following his eviction from a government bungalow, first allotted to his father and stalwart Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan.

  • ‘BJP, JDU in search of their own Eknath Shinde to pull each other down’: Chirag Paswan’s jibe at NDA

    By PTI

    PATNA: The JD(U) and its ally BJP were in search of “their own Eknath Shinde”, who could pull the rug from under the feet of his own party to benefit the rival, former Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan has alleged.

    Paswan accused the two parties of remaining in an alliance “just for the sake of power”, and charged the BJP with capitulating before Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on ideological issues.

    Addressing a press conference here, he also claimed that Kumar was trying to cut BJP to size and had “played a role” in the defection of four AIMIM MLAs to the RJD to achieve this end.

    “It is well known that AIMIM MLAs had been in touch with the JD(U) since they did not have much of a future in that party which has little presence in Bihar.

    But, instead of joining the CM’s party, they joined the RJD.

    Kumar was behind this development since now the RJD has snatched the status of the single largest party from the BJP,” the young Jamui MP claimed on Sunday.

    “Both parties are together just for the sake of power. Both are trying to pull the ally down, looking for an Eknath Shinde who could deliver,” Paswan said in a tongue-in-cheek reference to the recent political developments in Maharashtra.

    Cornered in the party founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, following a rebellion by uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras which led to the LJP’s disintegration, Paswan also heaped scorn on the BJP for “prostration” before Kumar who has been able to have his way on issues ranging from NRC to caste census.

    Notably, the LJP had been an NDA partner until the 2020 assembly polls when Paswan launched a rebellion against Kumar and decided to go solo.

    A section of JD(U) leaders has been of the view that Paswan had tacit approval of the BJP, which returned with a tally far better than that of the chief minister’s party.

    Paswan, left in the lurch by BJP that has accommodated Paras in the Union cabinet, now seems to have given up his past adulation for the saffron party as well as Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

    Claiming that he had been egged on by his father, who was then on death bed, to go it alone, Paswan however made it clear that he will be a part of “one alliance or the other, in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls or mid-term assembly elections, whichever took place earlier”.

    Since his exit from NDA, there have been many attempts by the RJD to woo Paswan who seems to be weighing his options.

    Paswan also disclosed that a statue of his late father will be unveiled on the latter’s birth anniversary on July 5 at Hajipur, the Lok Sabha constituency which had become synonymous with Ram Vilas Paswan.

    Asked whether Paras has been invited to the function, he replied, “Of course. He is a father figure and the local MP. After my father’s death, he has shown scant respect for my mother and me. But, I cannot think of paying him in the same coin”.

  • Evicted from late father’s Delhi house, Chirag Paswan sniffs `conspiracy’

    By PTI

    PATNA: Driven out of the ministerial bungalow in the national capital which had become synonymous with his late father, Chirag Paswan on Saturday played the victim card, sniffing out a conspiracy angle.

    Paswan alleged that a day prior to his unceremonious eviction earlier this week, he was assured by “a top Union minister” that he could stay on, and wondered whether Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had a role to play in his “humiliation”.

    Paswan also attacked his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who earned a cabinet berth after splitting the Lok Janshakti Party, for remaining “a mute spectator to the insult to the memory” of late Ram Vilas Paswan.

    “I have been rendered homeless. My father was an honest man and hence never cared to build a house in Delhi despite a political career spanning across five decades”, he said.

    “I had made up my mind to vacate 12, Janpath. I am intrigued that on the night prior to the mayhem by security forces, I was summoned by a top minister in the Union cabinet who told me I could stay on and even dialed up a colleague to say let’s not be harsh on Chirag. He is the future of Bihar”, claimed Paswan.

    “It will suffice to say right now that the minister was not among the less fancied ones. He is among the top five and is understood to have a say in decision making. I will reveal his name if the situation demands”, alleged the Jamui MP, who headed the party founded by his father until the rebellion by his uncle.

    Training his guns at Nitish Kumar whom he has repeatedly accused of having been disrespectful towards his father, Paswan wondered whether the “pressure” on the NDA government by the JD(U) leader was “so great as to necessitate our humiliating eviction”.

    “Ram Vilas Paswan was the second Ambedkar. But while carrying out the eviction drive, the men in uniform stepped on his bed with boots on, trampled on his pictures, misbehaved with our helpers”, alleged Paswan.

    “The worst part is, my uncle who owes his political standing to the late leader, remained a mute spectator and preferred to look the other way rather than risk his own position by revolting.

    Now, I am left with the people of Bihar by way of a family”, said Paswan who famously called himself the “Hanuman” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, but seems to have been deemed too hot to handle.

  • Government starts process of evicting Ram Vilas Paswan’s family from 12 Janpath bungalow

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: The government on Wednesday started the process of evicting the family of late Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan from the 12 Janpath bungalow that was allotted to him in 1990, with several trucks carrying furniture and other household goods seen driving out of the accommodation.

    The Directorate of Estates, which comes under the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, sent a team of officials to execute an eviction order issued to the late minister’s son and Lok Sabha MP Chirag Paswan in July last year.

    The 12 Janpath bungalow is earmarked for Union ministers and the occupants of the government accommodation have been asked to vacate it, an official said.

    The eviction process will also continue on Thursday, the official said, adding that overstaying charges will be levied in accordance with the rules as the Paswan family was eligible to use the bungalow till December 7, 2020.

    Chirag Paswan, who was not present at the bungalow when the eviction process began, could not be reached for comments.

    At least five trucks loaded with furniture and other household goods drove out of the bungalow, which was the official address of the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).

    The LJP split into two following differences between Chirag Paswan and his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras after the death of Ram Vilas Paswan.

    The bungalow was used for holding the party’s organisational meetings and other related events.

    Ram Vilas Paswan, one of the country’s most prominent Dalit leaders, died at the age of 74 in October 2020.

    He had been a minister in central governments headed by parties of contrasting ideological persuasions, ranging from the Janata Dal to the Congress and the BJP, since 1989.

    According to the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, Ram Vilas Paswan was allotted bungalow number 12, Janpath on March 14, 1990, as the then labour and welfare minister.

    “He (Ram Vilas Paswan) was occupying this bungalow in his various capacities. He had passed away on October 8, 2020. The family of late Paswan was eligible to retain the bungalow till November 7, 2020, on rent-free furnished basis and another one term (till December 7, 2020) on payment of normal license fee and water and electricity charges,” another official said.

    He said that due to non-vacation, eviction proceedings were initiated against the family members on January 6 last year.

    “Estate officer had passed the eviction order on July 14, 2021,” the official said.

    Eviction notices have been sent to all former ministers, including BJP Lok Sabha MPs Ram Shankar Katheria and P C Sarangi, to vacate the official bungalows allotted to them, sources said.

    In July 2020, the Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry had asked Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra to vacate her bungalow in Lutyens’ Delhi.