Patna (Bihar) [India]: Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) chief Pashupati Kumar Paras on Monday announced that his party is officially quitting the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), alleging mistreatment and a lack of recognition despite being a loyal ally since 2014.
Addressing a press conference in Patna, Paras claimed the RLJP was sidelined during the Lok Sabha elections and that the party’s Dalit identity was a key reason behind the “injustice” it faced.
“I have been with the NDA from 2014 to date. We were loyal allies of the NDA. You must have seen that when Lok Sabha elections were held, people of NDA did injustice to our party as it is a Dalit party. Still, in the national interest, our party decided to support NDA in the elections,” Paras said.
He criticized the BJP and JD(U) for consistently ignoring RLJP’s presence in NDA meetings, referring to themselves as the “five Pandavas” while leaving RLJP out.
“Whenever NDA meeting was held in Bihar, BJP state chief and JD(U) state chief issued statements that they are ‘5 Pandavas’ in Bihar, they didn’t mention our party’s name anywhere,” he added.
With the Bihar assembly elections looming, RLJP has launched a membership drive and is preparing to contest all 243 seats independently.
Paras also left the door open for possible alliances, stating that the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance) could be considered if RLJP is treated with respect.
“We were compelled…We are going amid the people and have started a membership drive. We are preparing for all 243 seats…If Mahagathbandhan gives us proper respect at the right time, we will definitely think of politics in future…,” he said.
The political landscape in Bihar is heating up ahead of the expected October-November assembly polls, with the NDA—comprising BJP and Nitish Kumar’s JD(U)—set to face off against the Mahagathbandhan, which includes the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD), Congress, and Left parties.