Chirag Paswan moves Delhi HC challenging Lok Sabha speaker order to designate Pashupati Paras as LJP floor leader

Lok Janshakti Party MP Chirag Paswan has moved the Delhi High Court challenging the order of speaker of Lok Sabha by which Pashupati Kumar Paras, who has been designated as the floor leader of the LJP, his lawyer said on Wednesday.

Arvind Kumar Bajpai, advocate for Chirag Paswan said that a writ has been filed before Delhi High Court challenging Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla's order to designate Paras as the leader of LJP in Lok Sabha.

"Although Paras was expelled from the party, the decision taken in haste is contrary to rules, practice, and procedure and opposes the party Constitution," he added.

The petitioner said that because the circular dated June 14, 2021, issued by the respondent was never communicated to the petitioners.

Last month, Pashupati Kumar Paras, the younger brother of LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan along with five other MPs met Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla and handed over a letter to him seeking removal of Chirag Paswan as party chief and as the Lok Sabha Parliamentary party leader.

The Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla accepted Paras as the floor leader of the LJP in the lower house. In a revised list of floor leaders of parties, Paras was listed as the Lok Sabha LJP leader.

Later, Chirag Paswan too wrote to Birla stating that the decision of announcing Pashupati as leader of LJP in the Lower House was contrary to the provisions of the party's Constitution.

Chirag has also requested the Lok Sabha Speaker to issue a new circular in his favour as a leader of LJP in the house.

After the rebel faction of the LJP elected unopposed Paras as the new party president, Chirag Paswan had said that the election was illegal as it was conducted by members of the LJP who were suspended from the party.

The fallout between Paras and Chirag Paswan has been attributed to a range of issues including the former's dissatisfaction with his nephew's decision to break away from the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the Bihar Assembly polls.

The LJP was formed by former Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan in 2000. Paswan, a heavyweight leader in Bihar politics, passed away in October 2020.

( With inputs from ANI )