Chirag slams BJP leaders for calling LJP 'vote katua,' says party will win more seats than JD(U)

LJP chief Chirag Paswan on Monday voiced strong displeasure over the use of term 'vote katua' for his party by some BJP leaders to keep Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar happy, and asserted his party will win more seats in the Bihar assembly polls than the JD(U).

'Vote Katua' is an expression used in the Hindi heartland for political parties and candidates in elections who are in the fray to eat into the votes of others without benefiting themselves.

"I am pained at the term vote katua being used against the LJP. They should apply their own wisdom and not use such words just to make somebody happy. "I dont mind whatever BJP leaders say, because I know they are just putting words to the chief ministers thoughts, the 37-year-old son of Ram Vilas Paswan, one of the foremost Dalit leaders and the LJP founder, told PTI-Bhsha.

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Several top BJP leaders including Union Minister Prakash Javadekar and Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi have called LJP a 'vote katua' in the Bihar election fray.

They have also accused him of creating confusion in the minds of the electorate by claiming close proximity to senior BJP leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

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Chirag, who has the responsibility of carrying his father's impressive political legacy forward, has repeatedly professed his unflinching loyalty to Modi, saying he was like 'Hanuman' to the prime minister.

Urging more respect from the BJP towards his late father and former Union minister, he said they should not use such terms for a party built painstakingly by somebody who was their colleague in the government just until 11 days ago. "Ultimately, a BJP-LJP government will be formed in the state after November 10," he said, and added the BJP should not say things that may hamper possibilities of a future coming together of the two.

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"The LJP will win more seats than the JD(U) and will build a new and young Bihar with the pledge of #Bihar1stBihari1st, Chirag said in a tweet.

The LJP which has dissociated itself from the NDA in Bihar, has put up candidates against JD(U) nominees in many places.

Chirag, who had initially said he would go all out against the JD(U) only, has pitted nearly half-a-dozen nominees against the BJP too. This includes the Raghopur seat where BJP's Satish Kumar is taking on Grand Alliance chief ministerial candidate Tejashwi Yadav. The move may benefit Yadav by splitting the anti-RJD votes.

The LJP president posted a series of tweets severely criticising Kumar and his work in the past five years. "The bureaucracy has ruled the roost over the past five years. None of the (Nitish Kumars) seven resolves (saat nishchay) has been fulfilled," he said, demanding that the chief minister give a detailed account of the work done during his current five-year term. "The sahib has destroyed Biharis just for power. Any vote given to the JD(U) will destroy Bihar tomorrow, he said in one of his tweets.

The regional party has announced the names of 95 candidates so far. Many deserters from the BJP as well as the JD(U) have taken taken shelter in the bungalow (LJP's election symbol) and have been rewarded with tickets.

Meanwhile, Tejashwi Yadav, sought to widen the rift between the JD(U) and the LJP even further, accusing Nitish Kumar of doing injustice to Chirag Paswan.

"What Nitish Kumar Ji did with Chirag Paswan is not good. Chirag Paswan needs his father at this time more than ever before but Ram Vilas Paswan ji is not among us and we are sad about it. Nitish Kumar did injustice to Chirag Paswan," Tejashwi tweeted.