Union Minister Pashupati Paras Breaks Ties With NDA, To Contest Bihar Polls Alone

In a significant political development ahead of the 2025 Bihar Assembly elections, Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party (RLJP) chief and former Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras announced his party's exit from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA).

The announcement was made on Monday during a function in Patna commemorating Ambedkar Jayanti. "I was in alliance with the BJP and NDA since 2014. But from today, there will be no relation with NDA," declared Mr Paras.

Mr Paras further said that his party will contest all 243 assembly seats in Bihar independently, marking a bold move aimed at establishing RLJP as a key player in state politics.

"The people of Bihar have made up their mind to change the NDA government led by Nitish Kumar," Mr Paras said, claiming to have already visited 22 districts as part of grassroots mobilisation and will visit the remaining 16 districts in the coming days.

Launching a scathing attack on Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Mr Paras accused him of being anti-Dalit and "mentally ill", citing rising crimes against Dalits.

He also referred to recent incidents in Aurangabad and Rohtas, including the case of Komal Paswan and Ranjit Paswan, alleging inaction by the state government.

"On the day of Holi on March 14, in the Aurangabad district of Bihar, Komal Paswan was playing Holi with her friends, and a son of Lok Janshakti Party Ramvilas's leader allegedly mowed her down using his bike. She eventually succumbed due to the injuries. Shockingly, the Nitish Kumar government has not taken any action against him," Mr Paras said.

He also highlighted the incident in Rohtas district when Ranjit Paswan was gunned down by a police officer, and the Nitish Kumar government had not taken any action against the culprits.

Mr Paras also urged the Central government to confer Bharat Ratna posthumously to Ramvilas Paswan, calling him the "second Ambedkar."

"Ramvilas Paswan fought his entire life for Dalit rights. He deserves the country's highest civilian honour," he said.

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