At Nitish's turf, Chirag says Opposition leaders fear his arrival in Bihar

The Hindu

9 hours ago

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan on Sunday (June 29, 2025) pledged to transform Bihar while addressing an impressive crowd at the 'Bahujan Bhim Sankalp Samagam' held in Nalanda's Rajgir, the home district of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.
It was Mr. Paswan first public rally after making a formal announcement in Ara three weeks ago that he would contest the upcoming Assembly election.
Addressing the large crowd, the Hajipur MP said that such support reflected the people's resolve for social justice and equality. 'To transform and develop Bihar, all Biharis will have to become Chirag Paswan with me. I will contest all 243 seats in Bihar, and wherever there are alliance partners, I will fight as Chirag Paswan so that Bihar becomes the number one State and Biharis too become number ones,' Mr. Paswan said.
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Attacking the Opposition, Mr. Paswan said that since he speaks about the development of Bihar and the education of the youth, the Opposition leaders in Bihar fear his arrival in State politics.
'The family of Lalu Prasad once gave jobs but took away the land of the poor, backward, and Bahujans. Tejashwi Yadav ji is talking about giving jobs again, so tell us, what will they take away this time in return? But I have come to fight selflessly for Bihar and Biharis. I stand as a shield to protect the rights of Bahujans. Today the whole of Bihar is unitedly saying 'Bihar First-Bihari First',' Mr. Paswan said.
He pointed out that his father and Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan had brought honour to Babasaheb B. R. Ambedkar. He added that Dr. Ambedkar is a God of the Bahujans and his party has always fought and will continue to fight for the rights and respect of the Bahujans.
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He urged the people not to fall for the false narrative of the Opposition that the BJP was trying to end reservation in the country, which was raised during the Lok Sabha election.
Further attacking the Opposition, he said as long as 'Chirag Paswan is alive, there will be no threat to reservation'. 'The Opposition and the Leader of the Opposition may exert as much force as they want, but they won't be able to divert me from my resolve of 'Bihar First, Bihari First' as long as you all stand firmly with me,' Mr. Paswan told the crowd.
Taking a dig at the Rashtriya Janata Dal, Mr. Paswan said when he announced he wanted to return to Bihar, it increased the anxiety of the same people who, in the nineties, forced millions of Biharis to migrate.
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Incidentally, when Mr. Paswan had announced that he would contest the Assembly election, Leader of Opposition in Bihar Assembly, Mr. Yadav, had asked him to clarify if he wanted to become the Chief Minister.
Through the rally, Mr. Paswan gave a clear indication that he was looking to expand his voter base and did not want to restrict himself to votes of the Paswan community, which accounts for nearly 5.33% of the State population. Overall, Scheduled Castes constitute 19.65% of the State's population, as per the latest caste survey.
'Until I make Bihar a developed State, I will neither rest nor tire. This is not just a promise, it is my resolve. Be it children or the elderly, women or youth, people from every section will be united under Chirag's leadership to empower the resounding voice of the Bahujan movement. This is not just a gathering, but a resolve of Bahujan self-confidence and dedication,' Mr. Paswan said.
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He added, 'In the era of Indira Gandhi, the Constitution was murdered and Emergency was imposed. Today, the INDIA bloc, sitting on the lap of that same Congress, is championing democracy!'
Mr. Paswan urged the people to ask RJD leaders why they supported the Congress now after going to jail for opposing the Emergency. 'People should further question those leaders, who themselves suffered during the Emergency, why have had forgotten everything in their greed for power,' he said.