LJP sulks over seat-sharing, but calls truce

September 15, 2015 12:07 pm | Updated November 16, 2021 04:13 pm IST - New Delhi

Lok Janshakti Party supremo Ram Vilas Paswan and son Chirag Paswan.

Lok Janshakti Party supremo Ram Vilas Paswan and son Chirag Paswan.

After sulking over the NDA seat-sharing formula that was announced on Monday for the Bihar polls, the Lok Janshakti Party on Tuesday called a truce after back-to-back meetings with top BJP leaders but insisted “there is no smoke without fire."

“There was no anger but there was a difference over the seat-sharing formula we were told about earlier and what was announced yesterday. So we were taken aback. We were not angry but definitely there were concerns in the party. We were shocked. There is no smoke without fire,” LJP Parliamentary Board Chairman Chirag Paswan said at a press conference.

Mr. Chirag, a Lok Sabha member and son of Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who had a midnight meeting with Amit Shah late last night to iron out the differences, said the BJP chief told him there were certain “compulsions in caolition dharma” and that he would try to accommodate the concerns of the LJP “as much as possible.“

“We have apprised the BJP chief about about our concerns. We are happy that our concerns have been honoured and we are moving towards a solution,” Mr. Chirag said.

Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also called on the LJP chief in the morning after which he downplayed the reports of continued differences, saying NDA accords due respect to suggestions of Mr. Paswan.

“Ram Vilas Paswanji a leader of stature,” he said, recalling that leaders of all NDA allies said on Monday they would work together to ensure the victory of the ruling alliance in the polls.

“There was no such demand [about more seats]...Nobody said any such thing [when Mr. Shah announced the seat-sharing pact],” he said when asked whether the LJP was angry as it wanted more seats.

Mr. Ram Vilas Paswan refused to speak on the issue, saying he does not talk to the media about such things and left it to his son to clear the air.

'Deal disproportionate'

LJP sources said there was a feeling in the party that Hindustani Awam Morcha (HAM) of former chief minister Jitan Ram Manjhi and RLSP of Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha got a “better deal” which was disproportionate to their political clout in the state.

Insisting that the alliance is intact, Chirag said his party has nothing against Kushwaha’s RLSP or Manjhi’s HAM getting more seats and described them as “family“.

“There is no reason —— number of seats or anything else —— due to which LJP would part ways with the BJP. There is no question of any dispute with Manjhi ji as his party cannot be given seats under any formula as he had neither contested Lok Sabha nor state Assemly polls in past.

“We are happy with whatever seats he has got. Our concern was that LJP should also have got seats on the basis of the formula under which RLSP got 23 seats,” he said.

At the same time, Chirag said LJP is “not unhappy” even with Kushwaha getting 23 seats.

He recalled even after the seat sharing arrangement had been announced Mr. Shah called up the LJP chief as he also felt there could be some issues which may require one or two rounds of consultations before they are sorted out.

Maintaining that Mr. Shah is very senior to him in age and experience and not someone with whom he should have engaged in arguments, the LJP leader thanked him for calling and showing affection.

“After meeting him and his assurance, we do not have time to drag on and damage the alliance. Pradhanji also talked to us last night and today and heard our issues with seriousness.

Our concerns have been given due honour and we are moving towards a solution,” he said, but declined to divulge whether it meant that the LJP could be given some additional seats.

“I will not comment on it but Amit Shah ji called me and gave me an assurance. That is a big thing for me,” he said.

He also replied in the negative when asked whether some of the LJP candidates could be fielded on BJP tickets as is being done in the case of Manjhi’s HAM.

Asked whether LJP was not informed beforehand about the apportionment of seats ahead of the announcement yesterday, he said,”No we were not informed. But we had not even asked for it.”

When asked why he had to rush to the BJP chief’s residence for a meeting at midnight when there was no big issue, he admitted there was “some truth” in the news about LJP’s unhappiness as there is “no smoke without fire“.

'Coalition dharma'

“The number of seats was not a concern for LJP. Concern was that LJP should have been given seats on the basis on which others were given. But we have always respected coalition dharma. Our alliance is intact and we will together win Bihar polls,” he asserted.

LJP sources had earlier said that before HAM joined the NDA, the proposal from BJP was that it would contest 75 per cent of the state’s 243 assembly seats and the rest would go to LJP and RLSP.

Another proposal mooted by BJP, according to LJP sources, was that LJP and RLSP would get six assembly seats for every Lok Sabha seat contested by them in 2014. Under the arrangement, LJP, which has contested seven LS seats, would have got 42 and Kushwaha’s RLSP 18.

When the decision to include HAM into the NDA fold was taken, it was decided that the new entrant will get 12 seats to contest in the assembly polls, LJP sources said.

Accordingly, it was decided that BJP will spare nine seats from its quota for Manjhi’s party, LJP two and RLSP one.

Under that arrangement, LJP would have been allotted 40 seats, RLSP 17 and HAM 12, they said.

Mr. Shah had on Monday announced the seat sharing of NDA parties under which the BJP will contest 160 seats, LJP 40, RLSP 23 and HAM 20. Shah said some of Manjhi’s party leaders will also contest on BJP’s symbols. LJP also had an issue about some rebel JD(U) MLAs contesting assembly polls.

In June itself, the LJP had made it clear that it would oppose five present and former MLAs associated with Manjhi’s Hindustani Awam Morcha in Assembly polls notwithstanding its decision to welcome the outfit into the BJP-led coalition.

They included dissident JD(U) MLA and former agriculture minister Narendra Singh’s two MLA sons — Ajay Pratap (Jamui) and Sumit Kumar Singh (Chakai), disqualified MLAs Raju Singh (Sahebganj) and Ajit Kumar (Kanti), besides Anil Kumar (Tekari). §ome of them had deserted the LJP in the past.

Narendra Singh, a former state LJP president, had split the party in 2005 and walked out with a dozen MLAs after the electorate had given a fractured mandate in the assembly polls.

When asked whether his party still had reservations against these MLAs, Mr. Chirag replied in the affirmative.

“Yes, we have our objections to some names. Yes, the reservations remain. We have written to the BJP chief regarding it. As long as the issue is not resolved after discussions, the reservations remain,” he said.

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