Bihar’s lone Dalit leader Ram Vilas Paswan’s legacy is not up for grabs for anyone else but his son, Chirag Paswan. The senior Paswan had passed on his Lok Janshakti Party’s baton to his son well ahead of his death. The young Paswan very much holds the baton.But the most important thing for the scion of Ram Vilas Paswan is how he moves on the intricate chessboard of Bihar politics to preserve and nurture his legacy among his caste men, as the Paswans unwaveringly supported his father in the election after election in the last over three decades.What appears to be clear at this stage is there is no love lost between Chirag and his uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras who led the breakaway faction of five LJP MPs and joined forces with Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United)— against which Chirag Paswan fought fiercely in 2020 assembly elections.Ashirvad yatraIn an obvious bid to generate sympathy – particularly among his caste men who are his core constituency – Chirag has decided to undertake Ashirvad Yatra (journey to seek blessings) in the state from July 5 – the first birth anniversary of his father after the latter’s death in October 2020.His Ashirvad Yatra will begin from Hajipur, the karmabhoomi of Ram Vilas that he had represented for six terms in the Lok Sabha in his over five decades of political life. As of now, Pashupati is the MP from Hajipur. Starting with Hajipur, Chirag will go to Samastipur, Vashili, Nawada and Khagaria constituencies which sent LJP nominees to the Lok Sabha in the 2019 elections and whose MPs deserted Chirag. He will also tour Jamui that he himself represents in the Lok Sabha and other parts of the state to seek “blessings” of the people.Ram Vilas Paswan and Chirag Paswan. Photo: PTI/File.Given the caste sentiment plays a predominant role in most parts of the Hindi heartland, including in Bihar, there is little doubt for his caste men who idolised Ram Vilas as their “hero” for decades will ignore his son and ‘orphaned’ Chirag when the latter plays a victim card among them.Paswans demonstrated their unflinching support to Chirag when the latter fielded as many as 136 candidates, mostly against Nitish Kumar’s JDU in 2020 assembly polls. The LJP managed to win only one seat, but it secured 6% of the votes, inflicting heavy damage on the JDU, which was reduced to 43 MLAs in that election.Also read: LJP Split: An Existential Crisis for Chirag Paswan After His Towering Father’s DeathThe Paswans constitute 6% of Bihar’s voters – almost equal in number with Chamars (Harijans) in the state. But unlike Chamars who are divided among the Lalu Prasad Yadav’s Rashtriya Janata Dal, Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party, the CPI-ML-Liberation and also the JDU, the Paswans have solidly backed the LJP over the years. Nitish Kumar’s party had openly alleged that it lost in over 40 assembly constituencies because of Chirag’s opposition.Way forward for Chirag: Mahagathbandhan or NDA?It’s almost clear that Chirag is set to be the actual inheritor of his father’s legacy, but it is also clear that Chirag with assured 6% votes can’t afford an ‘ekla chalo (move alone)’ policy in Bihar.Lalu Prasad Yadav once famously described Ram Vilas as “Mausam Vaigyanic (weather scientist)”. Lalu was apt in his description, for Ram Vilas had an uncanny knack to read the political atmosphere ahead of the elections and shifted his weight to the political formation which he guessed to emerge as the winner after the polls.That Ram Vilas’s ‘guess’ seldom failed was evident from the fact that he invariably stayed with the winning side and he was a rare leader who enjoyed ministerial positions under all the prime ministers from V.P. Singh in 1989 to Narendra Modi till he died in October.Also read: Bihar Elections: The Inside Story of Chirag Paswan’s RebellionAs an inheritor of his father’s legacy, Chirag will also have to acquire the former’s uncanny knack in pragmatic politics. As of now, Chirag has kept the BJP and the RJD guessing about his move. Recently, he was said to have gone to Ahmedabad on some “secret mission” that he has so far not revealed.After Pashupati led a rebellion of five MPs against him, Chirag showed somewhat disenchantment with the BJP. During the 2020 assembly polls, Chirag fought against Nitish’s JDU but kept on describing himself as ‘Hanuman’ of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.After his uncle’s summersault, Chirag said, “Hanuman maraa jar aha ho aur Ram chup rah-e, yeh achha nahin hain (It’s not good if Rama keeps silent when Hanuman is killed)”. His apparent reference to Modi who has been silent since LJP broke into two factions.The problem with the BJP is that it cannot operate in Bihar without Nitish, who has been a diehard opponent of the LJP all through. At the same time, the saffron party with an eye on 2024 elections can ill-afford to ignore Chirag with over 6% assured votes with him. The BJP will keep a close watch on the response Chirag is likely to get from his Ashirvad Yatra.RJD’s olive branchAt the same time, the RJD has extended an olive branch to Chirag: “Chirag has to decide if he wants to stay with the outfit (read BJP) that represents the bunch of thoughts of M.S. Golwalkar or the philosophy of Baba Saheb Bhimrao Ambedkar that the RJD and its allies – Congress and the Left in Bihar –represent,” Tejaswhi Yadav, RJD leader and the leader of opposition in Bihar assembly, recently said.RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and LJP leader Chirag Paswan. Photo: Twitter.The grapevine has it that the RJD would offer Chirag the position of deputy chief minister for 2025 assembly elections. But the pre-condition for Chirag will be to totally disassociate himself from the ruling BJP-JDU, which is the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan’s prime political foe in Bihar. Chirag will have to also weigh the sentiment of his caste men.Also read: Like Father Like Son: Tejashwi’s Battle Against the BJPThe Paswans voted for the LJP lock, stock and barrel on Chirag’s call to oppose Nitish. Now, Pashupati-led renegade MPs have expressed faith in Nitish’s leadership. Logically, the Paswans won’t like Chirag to be in the alliance that has Nitish and his supporters. It appears that Chirag as of now is contemplating where to go eventually – RJD-led Mahagathbandhan or the BJP-led NDA. The ball is in his court and he will have to take a call before it is too late.Bleak future for renegades Pashupati-led group of renegades have little future. In fact, Pashupati grew as an appendage to his elder brother, Ram Vilas Paswan. He was never a leader on his own. He might get some immediate gains after breaking away from Chirag. But in no way, he can claim the legacy of Ram Vilas Paswan against Chirag. Ram Vilas anointed Chirag as the president of the LJP much before his death, and in a way, he gave clear message to his constituents that Chirag was their future leader.Tejaswhi is undeclared inheritor of Lalu Prasad Yadav’s legacy. Both Tejaswhi Yadav and Chirag Paswan are young and have a long future. Neighbouring Uttar Pradesh has seen how Shivpal Singh Yadav despite his spirited efforts to share legacy of Mulayam Singh Yadav against Mulayam’s son Akhilesh Yadav had failed. Bihar can’t be any different.Nalin Verma is a senior journalist, author and professor of journalism and mass communication at Invertis University, Bareilly, Uttar Pradesh.
