"I will implement the initiative of 'Bihar first, Bihari first'," Chirag Paswan said (File)
Union Minister Chirag Paswan arrived in Bihar on Saturday, the first time after assuming the charge as Union Minister of Food Processing Industries and said that his focus will be on food processing units in the state, which would lead to increase in the income of farmers.
Speaking with news agency ANI, Mr Paswan said, "I am very happy that my party lived upto the trust of Prime Minister Narendra Modi... Due to the hard work of our workers, we won five Lok Sabha seats in Bihar. The Prime Minister also gave us his blessings."
Chirag Paswan's political journey can be described as nothing short of meteoric. After the thumping victory in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the LJP (Ram Vilas) chief is now the third most important ally after TDP and JD(U) for BJP in the NDA fold.
Scoring a 100 percent strike rate in all five seats -- Hajipur, Samastipur, Vaishali, Jamui and Khagaria -- the LJP (Ram Vilas) secured a Cabinet berth for its chief, who took oath in Modi 3.0 government on June 9.
Talking about his vision for Bihar, the Union Minister said, "I will implement the initiative of 'Bihar first, Bihari first'. I have always talked about food processing units. Be it the bananas of Hajipur, litchis of Muzzarpur, or mangoes of Patna, I have always said that if food processing units are established here, the farmers' income will increase, the state revenue will increase, and there will be employment opportunities for the youth. Now since I have this portfolio, I will give my best."
Notably, Chirag Paswan obtained the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, a post previously held by his father Ram Vilas Paswan, until his death in 2020. His uncle, Pashupati Paras, headed it for the rest of the Lok Sabha term.
After the announcement of the 18th Lok Sabha results, Lok Janshakti Party (LJP) (Ram Vilas) Chief Chirag Paswan assumed charge as Minister of Food Processing Industries on June 11. He had won from the Hajipur Lok Sabha constituency. A total of five LJP (Ram Vilas) MPs had won the Lok Sabha elections in Bihar: Veena Devi, Arun Bharti, Shambhavi Choudhary, Rajesh Verma and Chirag Paswan.
On disturbed law and order situation in Bihar, the Minister of Food Processing Industries said that this is an issue of concern. "I have talked with the Chief Minister (Nitish Kumar) and in the coming days, we will make sure that the crime is controlled. Crime cannot be tolerated at all. The way crime has got up, it's a matter of concern for our government and the government is working to control it."
On the recent collapse of bridges in the state, Mr Paswan said, "This is very unfortunate. The Prime Minister is also very concerned about this. In the coming days, it will be ensured that there is a special focus on quality in construction works."
The Lok Janshakti Party also took to their official X handle and posted about Paswan's visit to the state for the first time after becoming Union Minister. The post said, "On his first visit to Bihar after becoming a Union Minister, the National President and Union Minister of the party, Chirag Paswan, along with all the MPs, performed Puja at Khagaul in Patna and prayed for the happiness and prosperity of all the countrymen."
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