Union Minister and head of NDA partner Lok Jan Shakti Party Ram Vilas Paswan on Sunday said the Ayodhya issue must be resolved through a court verdict.
Addressing presspersons here on the BJP’s spectacular victory in Uttar Pradesh, Mr. Paswan said: “The Ayodhya issue must be resolved through a court verdict…even Prime Minister Narendra Modi did not speak on contentious issues like Ram Temple at Ayodhya, scrapping of Article 370 …he, instead, sought votes in the name of development and eradication of corruption.”
He said the LJP had not contested the U.P. elections despite having a support base “as it could have divided votes and benefited the Opposition parties”. Mr. Paswan gave full credit to Mr. Modi for leading the BJP’s campaign. “The entire opposition has been swept away under Modi Tsunami, particularly in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
When asked about JD(U) projections of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar as a to counter to Mr. Modi in the 2019 general elections, Mr. Paswan said, “Nitish Kumar will be swept away…PM Modi is hugely popular among the masses.” The Lok Janshakti Party chief further expressed satisfaction over his party's performance in the Manipur Assembly poll where it won one seat and was a part of the BJP-led coalition government.
Mr. Paswan’s son and MP from Jamui, Chirag Paswan, who was also present, hinted at mid-term polls in Bihar citing differences between alliance partners RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar. “There are reports of sharp differences between Lalu and Nitish... in such a situation, mid-term polls in Bihar cannot be ruled out,” said Chirag Paswan.
