"Unable to secure meeting with Rahul Gandhi, persuaded father to consider another alliance in 2014": Chirag Paswan

New Delhi [India], July 16 : Union Minister of Food Processing Industries and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) chief Chirag Paswan discussed the factors that made the party leave the UPA and his father Ram Vilas Paswan decide to join the NDA in 2014.
Chirag Paswan revealed the challenges he faced in persuading his father to consider other alliances, highlighting how one meeting could not take place with Rahul Gandhi. The lack of clarity left Ram Vilas Paswan disappointed, prompting him to consider alternative alliances.
In an exclusive interview with ANI, the LJP chief spoke about how difficult it was for him to convince his father to join the BJP-led NDA alliance. He said, "Papa was against it. It was difficult to convince him. And I on the other hand wanted it strongly."
He also spoke about his attraction towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi's speeches and said, "I have listened to so many taunts about the relationship between me and my Prime Minister. I have heard many things--it's a one-sided love and other things. My attraction towards my Prime Minister, whatever he used to say, his words, and his speeches, somehow influenced me a lot. And I wanted us to go into alliance with him."
The Union Minister said that his father was comfortable with the UPA and was not ready to consider any other alliance. "My father was very comfortable in the UPA alliance and he wanted to continue with that. I remember that in October or November 2013, I told my father that we should think about alternative alliances as well. And papa was like what are the options? I said BJP."
Paswan added, "And my father said that he will consume poison but he will not go with BJP. He was very against going with them. For many months, I did not have the courage."
Paswan further shared that when he was given the responsibility of the Party's Parliamentary Board, he came to know about other members' wish to go with another alliance. "When I started talking to other members of the Board, I realised that everyone wanted to go with an alternative alliance, not because of Congress but because of Lalu Prasad Yadav and RJD. Many party leaders were of the opinion that we should consider an alternative alliance," he said.
Talking about his experience with the RJD in the UPA alliance, Paswan said that they were being cornered by them. "In the RJD, there were several leaders who used to say that we should get 2.5 seats--One to my father, one to my uncle and half a seat to me. Several humiliating statements used to come from RJD," Paswan said.
The LJP chief further spoke about the meeting between his father and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi. He said, "Papa kept meeting Sonia Gandhi at that time and Sonia Gandhi wanted Papa to meet Rahul Gandhi. But somehow, that meeting never took place."
He added, "We both never met Rahul Gandhi. We met Sonia Gandhi three times and all three times, she spoke about meeting Rahul Gandhi, and things moving forward from there."
Sharing about his father being upset with the meetings, Paswan said, "I remember, once Papa was very upset with one of the meetings that took place with CP Joshi... Then I don't know whether that was a weak moment or what! Papa said to me that you were talking about an alternative alliance, talk about it. I will not come in between but you talk on your level. Then I talked to Rajnath Singh. There were many other people--Ravi Shankar Prasad, and Shahnawaz Hussain. These were those people with whom I had already talked and things worked out."
Notably, The LJP in 2004 entered the Congress-led UPA during the Lok Sabha elections, along with RJD. Then in 2014, the LJP entered the BJP-led NDA during the Lok Sabha polls. During these elections, LJP secured victory on six out of 40 seats.