LJP family feud: Pashupati, Chirag factions claim party
The Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) appeared headed for a split on Tuesday after a faction headed by Hajipur MP Pashupati Kumar Paras removed his estranged nephew Chirag Paswan as party chief, prompting Paswan’s loyalists to respond by stripping five rebel parliamentarians of the party’s primary membership.
The party, which has six MPs but no MLAs, plunged into a crisis late Sunday night after five lawmakers rebelled against Paswan’s leadership and chose Paras as the new leader of the parliamentary party. The MPs met Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla on Monday, and the Lok Sabha secretariat recognised Paras as the parliamentary party chief hours later.
On Tuesday, the Paras faction held an emergency meeting of the party national working committee at his residence. The leaders removed Paswan, who held the post since November 2019, as national president, and elevated senior vice-president Suraj Singh as working president. The meeting also decided to allow Singh to convene the party’s national council within five days to a new president. Party leaders said Paras was likely to be named the new LJP chief.
“Chirag lacks experience so we supported Paras. Chirag was unable to catch the pulse of Bihar’s politics and made a big mistake, for which he and the entire party had to bear the brunt. Our best wishes are with Chirag Paswan… there is no rift in LJP,” said Khagaria MP Mehboob Ali Kaiser, one of the rebel lawmakers. He was referring to Paswan’s decision during the Bihar polls last year to fight alone and target the Janata Dal (United) despite being together in the NDA.
Almost immediately, Paswan’s camp struck back. At a hurriedly called executive committee meeting held at Paswan’s house, all five rebel MPs were removed from the party.
Cristiano Ronaldo on Tuesday became the alltime top scorer in the history of the European Championship with a late penalty in Portugal’s opening Euro 2020 game against Hungary in Budapest on Tuesday. Ronaldo’s strike, which put the title holders 2-0 up with three minutes left, was his 10th in the European Championship finals, spread across five tournaments going back to 2004. Ronaldo then added another goal in stoppage time, his 11th Euros strike securing a 3-0 win in the Group F match. He beat the previous mark of nine set by France’s Michel Platini. All of Platini’s goals came in France’s triumphant Euro campaign on home soil in 1984.