Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Friday accused the opposition alliance ‘India’ (Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance) and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) leader Tejashwi Yadav that the opposition only uses Muslims as a vote bank, and always shies away from their actual representation.
Speaking to reporters in Patna, Paswan said, “The ‘India’ alliance is doing politics in the name of Yadavs and Sahni community, but it talks about Muslims only at the time of voting. The population of Muslims is about 18 percent in Bihar, yet the ‘India’ alliance has not made any Muslim leader the chief minister, deputy chief minister or candidate for any major post.”
He said, “Tejashwi Yadav belongs to the Yadav community, which constitutes about 13 per cent of the population, while Mukesh Sahni comes from the Sahni community, which constitutes about 2 per cent of the population. But despite 18 per cent Muslim population, Muslims have been deprived of participation in power. These people only know how to get votes by intimidating Muslims and provoking them on emotional issues, they never had the intention of giving them real representation.”
Paswan also targeted VIP chief Mukesh Sahni. He said, “Mukesh Sahni, who does politics in the name of Sahni community, has forgotten his society. He only asked for the post of Deputy Chief Minister for himself, did not say a word for the rights of the society. Now he is only doing politics of self-interest.”
The LJP (Ram Vilas) chief said that the grand alliance is trying to divide the society on the basis of caste and religion, while the central government is running schemes equally for all sections.
He said, “In 2005, my father Ram Vilas Paswan had said that the Chief Minister of Bihar should be made from the Muslim community, but even then no one paid attention. Even today, Muslims are being used only for votes.”
Paswan claimed that now even Muslims have understood that Tejashwi Yadav and his associates remember him only during elections and do not give him any place in governance and power.
He said that his party is working for the development of all sections, while the Grand Alliance is doing politics of dividing the society on the basis of caste and religion.
