The Crossbill News Desk
Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) national president and former Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras on Monday (April 14) formally announced his departure from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), citing neglect and injustice by the ruling coalition, particularly in the context of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.
While addressing reporters at a party event held at Bapu Sabhagar in Patna, Paras said, “I formally quit the NDA from today. I have been with NDA from 2014 till today, honestly. But, I was ignored, and the NDA did an injustice to us in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as we are a party espousing the cause of Dalits,” reported Hindustan Times.
The announcement came during the RLJP’s “Sankalp Sammelan,” where Paras also paid tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. The event was attended by former MP Surajbhan Singh, state party president Prince Raj Paswan, other senior leaders, and former MPs.
Paras said he had chosen to stay silent over the last six to eight months in the interest of maintaining alliance unity but felt compelled to make a public declaration after being repeatedly sidelined.
His grievances stem from being denied a seat during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including his former stronghold of Hajipur, which he had won in 2019. The seat is now held by Chirag Paswan, Union Minister and Paras's estranged nephew. Despite being sidelined, Paras had made efforts to remain within the NDA fold, holding meetings with top BJP leaders including party president JP Nadda.
During the by-elections for five assembly constituencies last year, his claim to one seat was overlooked, and his proposed candidate eventually joined the BJP. The BJP then awarded the ticket to that candidate's son.
Adding to his woes, the state government evicted him from a bungalow he used as his party office, only to later allot it to Chirag Paswan, deepening the public humiliation.
Paras and Chirag fell out in the aftermath of the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, when Chirag took a combative stance against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar—something Paras openly disapproved of at the time. However, the RLJP chief has now turned his ire toward Nitish, accusing him of being "anti-Dalit" and failing Bihar.
“In Nitish Kumar's 20-year-long rule, the education system has been ruined in the state, no new industries have been set up, and rampant corruption affects the implementation of all welfare schemes,” PTI quoted Paras as saying, adding that his recent tour of 22 out of Bihar’s 38 districts revealed a public desire for change in leadership.
Interestingly, Paras has also been seen in recent weeks meeting RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, raising speculation about a possible political realignment. However, he remained non-committal on his next move.
“I wish to soon complete the tour of the remaining 16 districts and strengthen the party in all 243 assembly segments of the state,” he said.
Responding to Paras’s exit, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, another key Dalit figure in Bihar politics, downplayed the development.
“He may have made a formal announcement only today. But the writing has been on the wall since he began hobnobbing with Lalu Prasad,” said Manjhi, who heads the Hindustani Awam Morcha.
While addressing reporters at a party event held at Bapu Sabhagar in Patna, Paras said, “I formally quit the NDA from today. I have been with NDA from 2014 till today, honestly. But, I was ignored, and the NDA did an injustice to us in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls as we are a party espousing the cause of Dalits,” reported Hindustan Times.
The announcement came during the RLJP’s “Sankalp Sammelan,” where Paras also paid tribute to Dr. B.R. Ambedkar on his birth anniversary. The event was attended by former MP Surajbhan Singh, state party president Prince Raj Paswan, other senior leaders, and former MPs.
Paras said he had chosen to stay silent over the last six to eight months in the interest of maintaining alliance unity but felt compelled to make a public declaration after being repeatedly sidelined.
His grievances stem from being denied a seat during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, including his former stronghold of Hajipur, which he had won in 2019. The seat is now held by Chirag Paswan, Union Minister and Paras's estranged nephew. Despite being sidelined, Paras had made efforts to remain within the NDA fold, holding meetings with top BJP leaders including party president JP Nadda.
During the by-elections for five assembly constituencies last year, his claim to one seat was overlooked, and his proposed candidate eventually joined the BJP. The BJP then awarded the ticket to that candidate's son.
Adding to his woes, the state government evicted him from a bungalow he used as his party office, only to later allot it to Chirag Paswan, deepening the public humiliation.
Paras and Chirag fell out in the aftermath of the 2020 Bihar Assembly elections, when Chirag took a combative stance against Chief Minister Nitish Kumar—something Paras openly disapproved of at the time. However, the RLJP chief has now turned his ire toward Nitish, accusing him of being "anti-Dalit" and failing Bihar.
“In Nitish Kumar's 20-year-long rule, the education system has been ruined in the state, no new industries have been set up, and rampant corruption affects the implementation of all welfare schemes,” PTI quoted Paras as saying, adding that his recent tour of 22 out of Bihar’s 38 districts revealed a public desire for change in leadership.
Interestingly, Paras has also been seen in recent weeks meeting RJD supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav, raising speculation about a possible political realignment. However, he remained non-committal on his next move.
“I wish to soon complete the tour of the remaining 16 districts and strengthen the party in all 243 assembly segments of the state,” he said.
Responding to Paras’s exit, Union Minister Jitan Ram Manjhi, another key Dalit figure in Bihar politics, downplayed the development.
“He may have made a formal announcement only today. But the writing has been on the wall since he began hobnobbing with Lalu Prasad,” said Manjhi, who heads the Hindustani Awam Morcha.
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