Concerns about policies whether it’s UCC, caste census, Agniveer: Chirag Paswan

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fallen short of the halfway mark of 272 seats in the 543-member Lok Sabha for the first time since 2014, making it dependent on allies for the next government formation. Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) or LJP (RV), which won all the five seats it contested in Bihar, is among such allies. Paswan spoke to HT about his party’s performance, Dalit politics, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to become the first leader since Jawaharlal Nehru to secure a third consecutive term, etc. Edited excerpts:
Were you surprised by your party’s performance?
I was not surprised. It is a deserved victory because of the hard work my party workers and I put in. We were very confident because of the kind of support we were getting from the people, especially for the vision of the Bihar First, Bihari First. That gave me much confidence that we would bag all the five seats. All the credit goes to my party and the people of Bihar.
What is the kind of profile of the candidates that the people voted for?
Some parties make political equations based on casteism, and communalism and proudly flaunt it. My political equation is centred around younger people. Four of the five LJP (RV) members of Parliament (MP) are young. There is Rajesh Verma. Arun Bharti, an MBA from Jamui, and Shambhavi Choudhary (Samastipur), one of the youngest MPs. They represent the youngsters of my state. This is the kind of image I want to portray of Bihar. To date, Bihar is known for uneducated and corrupt. Now you have these young educated faces, who will talk about Bihar. Two of the MPs are women. This is the combination that the people have voted for.
Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s Janata Dal (United) or JD(U) has also done well winning 12 seats. How do you read that?
We have managed to do well because, as allies, we all were so intact. The BJP took care of JD(U) seats. I did almost 200 rallies, ensuring I put in extra effort for JD(U). The opposition tried to float rumours like JD(U) is not working for LJP and LJP is not for JD(U). I think all of us went the extra mile to ensure we worked together.
Why have BJP’s seats gone down?
This is a matter of concern. We will look into it. We have to sit down to analyse what went wrong. We set such a high target for ourselves; 400 plus seats. The target was so high. It was not easy to return to power for the third time. It has happened only for the second time in history after seven decades. The party [BJP] and the alliance [NDA] worked so well to win. If you look at this, we have done really well, but definitely we have fallen short. It is okay we missed this time. But in 2029, we will achieve our target.
There was no anti-incumbency. I have been on the ground. I have been with the people …we could not achieve the desired results…some shortcomings…we need to analyse the results. I think in the due course of time, all the alliance partners will sit together and discuss and resolve this before 2029.
Are you comfortable with the Uniform Civil Code (UCC)?
It is not about being comfortable or not. We are in an alliance and we will sit and discuss. This is an issue-based alliance. Everybody has their issues and their concerns. I have been concerned with ST [Scheduled Tribes], SC [Scheduled Castes], and weaker sections of society including the minorities. When I talk about minorities, I would add Muslims also. These are concerns…about policies… whether it is UCC, caste census, or Agniveer. These are issues that we should address when we sit across the table with our alliance. We will put forth our concerns …The Law Commission is yet to draft the format for its [UCC] implementation. Unless the final draft does not come, I will not be able to say anything.
You have so many partners in NDA. Does the dialogue process go well?
It always goes well…the Prime Minister has said he is available and open to talk. He welcomes suggestions. This is the liberty that we have in NDA. …The Prime Minister has handled the alliance superbly and I believe that he should continue doing so. He is a strong Prime Minister and he will remain a strong Prime Minister.
What role are you seeing for yourself in the coming years?
My vision is Bihar First and Bihari First. My priority is my state and we have state elections next year. I will be focusing on it. …my ultimate goal is to make my state developed.
Is there any portfolio you have asked for?
No. The Prime Minister gave me five seats to contest believing in me. Imagine a single-member party getting five seats to contest on and that is all. I will say I have proved myself.
What do you think about the Dalit leadership?
There is a vacuum in the Dalit leadership. …As a youngster, I would also want to represent one of the largest sections of society without talking about their caste…I want to talk about youth…around 65% of the population is under 35. So would also have to represent that young section.