The Centre today requested the Union Public Service Commission (UPSC) to withdraw its advertisement for lateral entry into bureaucracy, a reversal following criticism from the Opposition and pressure from ally Chirag Paswan, who had reservations against the move. After the government’s U-turn, the minister thanked the Prime Minister who “understood the concerns of people from SC/ST and OBCs”.

UPSC last week issued an advertisement seeking “talented and motivated Indian nationals” for lateral recruitment to various senior positions within the Union government. These positions included Joint Secretary, Director, and Deputy Secretary in 24 ministries, with a total of 45 posts up for grabs.

Yesterday, Mr Paswan said that “reservation provisions must be there in any government appointment. There are no ifs and buts in this. No reservation exists in the private sector and if it is not implemented in government positions as well…”

Mr Paswan said he was in with the Prime Minister and his office and said he held in-depth discussions with me and added that “I submitted relevant documents to his office. In all kinds of government appointments, rules of the reservation should be followed by the government,” says Union Minister and LJP (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan at a press conference in Patna, Bihar.”

VIDEO | “Since the time the lateral entry issue came to my notice, I raised it in front of concerned authorities at different places. I presented the concerns of SC/ST and backward people regarding this issue to the Prime Minister. For the past two days, I have been in touch with… pic.twitter.com/twY4YO5kiz

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) August 20, 2024

The Union Minister thanked the Prime Minister and said, “I am happy that my Prime Minister Modiji understood the concerns of SC/ST and backward people. My party LJP (Ram Vilas) and I thank PM Modi.”

The lateral entry move was shredded by the Congress, who called it a ploy to snatch jobs from disadvantaged classes and give it to cadres of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or RSS, the BJP’s ideological mentor.

The Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have alleged that it is a “conspiracy” by the BJP to appoint its ideological allies to high posts through the back door.

Congress chief Mallikarjun Kharge claimed that while the UPA government introduced lateral entry to appoint select experts in some areas, the NDA government is using it to “snatch the rights” of Dalits, tribals and backward classes.

Information and Broadcasting Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had said the Congress’ criticism of the lateral entry system exposes its “hypocrisy”.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, Mr Vaishnaw said. “INC (Indian National Congress) hypocrisy is evident on lateral entry matter. It was the UPA government which developed the concept of lateral entry,” he said.

New Delhi:

Union minister Chirag Paswan, who joined politics after a failed Bollywood debut, has no plans to make a comeback in films and also jokes that he is such a “bad actor” that even his Lok Sabha colleague and first co-star, Kangana Ranaut, will not agree to share the screen space with him again.

In an interaction with PTI editors at the agency’s headquarters in Delhi, the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief, who made his debut with Ms Ranaut in the 2011 movie ‘Miley Naa Miley Hum’, said the film was a “disaster”.

He also said that he has no plans to get married for at least another two years as he wants to dedicate all of his time to politics, especially as the Bihar elections are due next year.

“And I think marriage is also a huge responsibility. You can’t just be occupied with your work and give an excuse to your better half that my work is my priority. If your work is your priority, then set your priority clear.

“I am very clear about my priority that I am married to my work. And if I don’t have time for my better half, I should not get into that,” the MP added.

As Ms Ranaut, one of the leading actors of the Hindi film industry, joined politics and won the Lok Sabha polls from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh, Mr Paswan’s debut film came back to the limelight and many social media users said they would like to see them together on the silver screen again.

He, however, was quick to rule out any possibility of a comeback.

Asked if he would ever consider returning to cinema, Mr Paswan quipped, “Again? After one disaster!” “No, not at all. And I think anybody who has seen the movie will agree with me,” Mr Paswan said. He smilingly added that his short stint in Bollywood has taught him what not to do in life.

However, his stay in Mumbai also exposed him to the struggles of people from Bihar and firmed his resolve to do something for them through politics.

Though he started as an actor, Mr Paswan said, he realised it was not his calling.

Politics is not something to be taken casually, he said. “I think politics comes with a huge responsibility and you cannot take this profession casually. Also as a Member of Parliament, I am accountable directly or indirectly to 25 lakh people in my constituency and as a cabinet minister, I have responsibility across the country.” “I do not think I can take this lightly. And yes, no director, producer, including Kangana herself, will agree to do a movie with me,” he said.

Asked if he would do a movie with Ms Ranaut, Mr Paswan said, “She will not. She knows how good an actor I am.” “I am a very bad actor. You need to be honest with yourself,” he added.

The Hajipur MP, who is among the few bachelors in the Lok Sabha, also said he has no plans to get married as of now.

Asked if he is getting any marriage proposals, he said, “I do not know. I think my mother is processing most of it.” “I don’t know how to answer these questions… I have already started blushing,” Mr Paswan said with a bashful laughter.

He added that his work is his priority for now, especially since the Bihar assembly polls are due next year.

“I don’t see myself getting married for a couple of years at least. Because I have state elections coming in Bihar. So that is my next priority,” he said. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) leader Chirag Paswan has asked the Bihar government to set a precedent by taking stringent action in cases of crime and the recent spate of bridge collapses, asserting that the state needs a vision to move up the development ladder.

Once a sharp critic of Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar before both allied with the BJP, Mr Paswan said the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) will fight the next assembly elections under Mr Kumar’s leadership but flagged a host of issues which, he suggested, has stymied the state’s growth.The assembly elections in Bihar are due to be held around the end of 2025.

“Bihari itna aage hai to Bihar itna peeche kyon? (When Biharis are doing so well, then why is Bihar so behind?) We need to find an answer to this question,” Mr Paswan told PTI, highlighting how people from the state in different fields, from elite government jobs to the private sector, have done well after migrating.

“The problem is that a vision needs to be there and it needs to be implemented,” he said, stressing that efforts should be made to stop migration from the state.

Ahead of the Union budget presentation on July 23, Mr Paswan said he supported the demand for special category status for Bihar.

However, he noted that the NITI Aayog’s recommendations go against granting the demand and said an alternative like a special package should be given to the state.

Asked about the collapse of nearly 15 bridges in Bihar in recent months, a development which raised questions about the quality of development work and made the state a magnet for jokes and memes on social media, Mr Paswan said it is a serious issue.

“This definitely shows that somewhere corruption has taken place. Compromises were made. I don’t want to get into the politics of who was in the government then. We are in the government now. It is our responsibility to make sure this does not get repeated. Whosoever is responsible should be held accountable and punished so that a precedent is set for the future,” he said.

Asked about his change of stand on Mr Kumar, he said if he is part of an alliance, then he needs to be there wholeheartedly. “I can’t be part of an alliance and have apprehensions also. Because that could have just damaged the alliance and would have affected our performance,” Mr Paswan added.

The NDA won 30 of the state’s 40 Lok Sabha seats, with Mr Paswan’s party achieving a 100 per cent strike rate by bagging all five seats it contested.

He added that Mr Kumar as chief minister has done “really well” compared to the way the state was run under the previous RJD governments. “There is always a scope for improvement,” he said.

Curbing the crime rate can boost tourism, especially religious tourism, in the state, as people need to feel safe before visiting Bihar. A grand temple in Sitamarhi for Lord Ram’s wife Sita and connecting the town, where the devout believe she was born, with Ayodhya can be a huge boost to tourism, he added.

He rued the lack of education infrastructure in cities of Bihar, noting that a large number of students from the state enroll in Kota’s coaching centres, many of whom are owned by Biharis.

A good number of teachers there are also from Bihar, Mr Paswan said, wondering why such a model cannot be replicated in Patna, Muzaffarpur or Bhagalpur.

The state regularly suffers from drought and floods at the same time, the Hajipur MP said, calling for the inter-linking of rivers.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Patna:

Former Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras on Friday squarely blamed nephew Chirag Paswan for his non-participation in the poll campaign in Hajipur, the seat he currently represents but is now being contested by the latter.

Mr Paras also said Chirag, the son of late Ram Vilas Paswan, has “never bothered to come and seek blessings” from his uncle.

“I have never been invited”, was the curt reply of Paras, when he was asked about his absence in Hajipur from where Chirag has filed his nomination.

The seat had earlier been represented by Ram Vilas Paswan nine times.

Chirag’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has got five seats in Bihar as per the seat-sharing formula decided by the BJP-led coalition.

The formula has left Paras high and dry and he has reacted by resigning from the Union cabinet but chosen to remain with the BJP-led NDA.

“I stay just a few hundred metres away from the Patna airport where Chirag goes almost every day to catch his helicopter. He has never bothered to come and seek my blessings even though I am older than him. My party leaders have been campaigning for NDA candidates in Bihar”, said Paras who leads the Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP).

Chirag was the national president of Lok Janshakti Party, founded by Ram Vilas Paswan until it was split in 2021.

Mr Paras had claimed that the split was a consequence of the “Chirag model”, which had caused the NDA partner JD(U)’s tally to crash in the assembly polls held the year before.

Chirag had earlier told PTI that he was “not sure whether even time will be able to heal the wounds” inflicted upon him by his uncle, while profusely thanking Prime Minister Narendra Modi for “always standing” by him to the extent it was possible.

Commenting on PM Modi’s roadshow in Patna on May 12, Paras said, “It will be a grand roadshow by the PM in Patna. The NDA will win 400 plus seats in the country and all 40 seats in Bihar”. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Jumai, Bihar:

 Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) Chief Chirag Paswan on Tuesday said that he is paving the way for his mother to fight the Lok Sabha election from Bihar’s Hajipur constituency.

“I cannot disappoint the people of Jamui (Chirag Paswan’s parliamentary constituency), but I cannot assure you about whatever the condition is going to be. However, I am paving the way for Maa to fight from the Hajipur constituency so that I can continue with Jamui. But this is for sure that the LJP (Ram Vilas) will fight from both Hajipur and Jamui”, Mr Paswan said while speaking to reporters in Bihar’s Jamui.

“If Maa does not get ready to fight from Hajipur, then we will accept the decision taken by the party’s parliamentary board. But I am trying that my relationship with Jamui remains constant”, he added.

The LJP Chief further said, “I came to Jamui as a son, but will leave from here as an elderly”.

The Lok Sabha polls are scheduled to be held in 2024.

It is worth mentioning that Chirag Paswan’s father and founder of the LJP, Ram Vilas Paswan represented the Hajipur constituency.

However, post-Ram Vilas’s demise in 2020, the LJP got bifurcated in 2021 owing to inner conflicts leading to the formation of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) (Ram Vilas) and Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP).

The LJP is currently headed by Chirag Paswan and the RLJP is headed by Ram Vilas Paswan’s brother and Union Minister, Pasupati Kumar Paras.

Both parties are partners in the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) bloc, headed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

Meanwhile, Pasupati Kumar Paras has also been reiterating his claims on the Hajipur constituency.

In an apparent dig at his nephew Chirag Paswan, RLJP Chief Paras earlier said that Chirag should contest from the seat where the late Ram Vilas Paswan wanted him to contest.

“I will contest the election from Hajipur. I’ve said many times that during my political career, I will stay with NDA and will continue to serve the people of Haijpur. There is no other contestant (for the Hajipur seat). All other contestants are bogus contestants. He (Chirag Paswan) should go where (late Ram Vilas Paswan) Paswan had taken him and serve those people…,” Mr Paras said.

In 2019, Pashupati Paras won from Hajipur while Chirag Paswan emerged as the winner from Jamui.

However, the uncle-nephew fight shows no sign of relenting for close to three years.

Pashupati Kumar Paras and Chirag Paswan first locked horns over claiming the legacy of Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) founder Ram Vilas Paswan.

Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) was formed in October 2021 after the Election Commission allotted a separate symbol to Chirag Paswan’s faction following his differences with his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, who heads a separate faction.

Meanwhile, in the 2020 Bihar assembly elections, Chirag Paswan had walked out of the NDA, raising a rebellion against Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar.

In the Bihar assembly elections 2020, the LJP managed to secure only a 5.66 per cent vote share winning a single seat.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)