Chirag's party blames Paras for 'ill-treatment' of Ram Vilas Paswan's wife

Patna: Union minister Chirag Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) on Monday blamed his estranged uncle and political rival Pashupati Kumar Paras for alleged mistreatment meted out to his late father's first wife.

According to LJP(RV) state president Raju Tiwari, the wives of Paras and his deceased younger brother Ram Chandra Paswan recently tried to evict Rajkumari Devi from their ancestral house in Khagaria district of Bihar.

The Union minister's late father Ram Vilas Paswan had tied the knot with Rajkumari Devi more than 20 years before marrying Reena, who was based in Delhi.

According to Tiwari, "As soon as our national president learnt of the episode, he asked his nephew Prince Paswan to visit their ancestral village Sahar Banni and take stock of the situation."

"We have been told that the room allotted to Rajkumari Devi has been locked and she is being asked to leave. Paras, who claims to worship late Paswan, is behind the humiliation of bhabhi (sister-in-law), who is old and does not enjoy good health. But, we stand in her support," said Tiwari.

No complaint has, so far, been lodged with the police in this regard and Paras, who heads the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, could not be reached for comments.

The latest row could be seen as part of the tussle between Chirag Paswan and Paras over the "political legacy" of late Ram Vilas Paswan, one of the tallest Dalit leaders of his generation.

Months after the demise of Paswan senior, the Lok Janshakti Party was split by Paras, who left Chirag isolated and went on to enjoy a berth in the Union cabinet.

Barring Chirag, all other LJP MPs, including Ram Chandra Paswan's son Prince Raj, had then rallied behind Paras who had sought to portray himself as the true political heir to his late brother.