Lok Janshakti Party joining hands with NDA?

Former Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan on Sunday dropped hints of joining the BJP-led NDA for which he had campaigned in the recent by-polls in Bihar.

At a meeting of Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), a splinter group of the LJP floated by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, Chirag was "authorised" to take a decision with regard to the party joining "any alliance".

The meeting took place on a day senior BJP leader and Union minister Nityanand Rai called on Chirag and termed the residence of the Paswans as "my second home".

Rai refrained from talking about alliance with Chirag though he asserted "the BJP and late Ram Vilas bhai have shared values. Both believe in making the people happy with their services".

When Chirag was asked about the possibility of joining the NDA, he said, "It will be against the ‘maryada’ (decorum) of a coalition for me to make any announcement before them. The alliance (NDA) is likely to hold another round of talks before making up its mind".

While Chirag's affinity towards the BJP and his admiration for Prime Minister Narendra Modi are well known, there is a proverbial thorn in the flesh.

His uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who had led a revolt soon after his father's death that resulted in a split in the LJP, is a minister in the Union cabinet.

Both uncle and nephew have stated many times that they will not be part of any coalition that includes the other.

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