Patna: Union minister and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief Chirag Paswan on Friday announced that he will embark on a statewide tour early next year, once the Kharmas period ends in mid-January. The “Dhanyavad Yatra”, he said, will be aimed at thanking the public for the National Democratic Alliance’s sweeping win in the Bihar Assembly elections.
Speaking at a press conference at the LJP (Ram Vilas) office in Patna, Chirag said the yatra will begin immediately after the traditional dahi-chuda feast on Makar Sankranti. “This journey will be our way of expressing gratitude for the historic mandate given to the NDA,” he said.
In a move signalling consolidation within his party, Chirag also announced the formation of a new Dalit Sena—an organisation originally created by his father, the late Ram Vilas Paswan, before he founded the LJP in 2000. Taking a swipe at his estranged uncle and former Union minister Pashupati Kumar Paras, Chirag alleged that Paras had “usurped both the party and the original Dalit Sena”.
The revived Dalit Sena will be headed by Arun Bharti, LJP (Ram Vilas) MP from Jamui and Chirag’s brother-in-law. Former minister Sanjay Paswan, who long served as state president of the earlier Dalit Sena, will work alongside him.
Chirag also announced that the LJP (Ram Vilas) will celebrate its foundation day on November 28 in Patna, marking 24 years since Ram Vilas Paswan launched the party. He said details of the programme would be released soon.
The announcements come at a time when the party is seeking to expand its organisational footprint after securing a strong position within the NDA and gaining key portfolios in the newly formed state government.
