Union minister Chirag Paswan, Lok Janshakti Party-Ram Vilas leader, claimed a symbolic victory in the ongoing family and political feud on Friday by reoccupying the party's old office.
The party office was seized by the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) headed by Chirag Paswan's uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras.
It was the auspicious Kartik Purnima when Chirag Paswan performed a puja at the bungalow, ushering in the new beginning under his leadership.
Jamui MP Arun Bharti also accompanied Chirag Paswan on his visit to the bungalow to check it out and to perform a few rituals, as he is his brother-in-law.
In this, the Building Construction Department had facilitated this reclamation by directing Pashupati Paras to vacate the premises by November 13, though the latter complied earlier, vacating it on November 11.
Chirag underlined the emotional importance of the office, saying, "Our father's memories are associated with this office. I have got it back again. It is true that my uncle's memories are also associated with this bungalow, with whom I stayed for a long time. But circumstances change, and these circumstances have been created by them. Today we are different.".
However, Chirag Paswan kept a realistic outlook on the matter, saying, "The party office does not belong to anyone. Today we have it, tomorrow someone else will have it. All this goes according to the situation."
This gheraoed office is an extension of the legacy of the late Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, who harboured a dream of the Lok Janshakti Party becoming a pan-India entity, common for all claims and rivalries over the party's assets and legacy in his wake.
This also deepened a family feud where the party splits into two-one led by Chirag Paswan and the other by his uncle, Pashupati Kumar Paras.
Re-taking the office for Chirag Paswan is important for him to re-establish control as the heir to Ram Vilas Paswan's political legacy.
The office is a physical reflection of the party's origins and history now returned to the side led by Chirag Paswan.
It marks an important development in the continuing process of chalking out Chirag Paswan's stance within the party and with his followers while underlining the personal and political complexities that make the internal dynamics of the Paswan family a story apart.
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