Union Minister Pashupati Paras Resigns From The Cabinet

Union Minister and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) president Pashupati Kumar Paras on Tuesday resigned from the Modi cabinet, citing “injustice” after his party was not included in the seat-sharing deal for the Lok Sabha polls in Bihar.

RJLP was not given any seats in the upcoming general elections, though it was part of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

Injustice has been done to us and our party. Therefore, I resign from the post of Union Minister.

Pashupati

The announcement of the seat-sharing details in Bihar by BJP and its partners occurred one day before this development. Five tickets have been awarded to the Chirag Paswan faction: Hajipur, Jamui, Vaishali, Samastipur, and Khagaria.

BJP’s choice to support his nephew Chirag Paswan, who has founded his party, the LJP (Ram Vilas), for Lok Sabha seats, including those from the Paswan family stronghold of Hajipur, infuriated Paras. Paras claimed and acted as the constituency’s representative.

Yesterday, the NDA alliance announced the list of 40 candidates for Bihar Lok Sabha… Our party had five MPs, and I worked with utmost sincerity.

Paras told the media

He supported BJP in 2021 along with five other RLJP MPs, including his son Prince Raj after Chirag Paswan chose to run independently for the state assembly elections. Additionally, he opposed the United Progressive Alliance (Janata Dal) joining NDA in Bihar.

BJP has not yet responded to Paras’ resignation. BJP is running for 17 of the 40 Lok Sabha seats in Bihar, where voting will take place throughout seven phases starting on April 19. JD (U) will run on 16 seats, while Jitan Ram Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha and Upendra Kushwaha’s Rashtriya Lok Morcha have been given one seat each.