Patna: Union Minister of Food Processing Industries and Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president Chirag Paswan has announced that his party will contest the Punjab Assembly elections expected to be held early next year.
Wearing a kesariya (saffron) colour Sikh turban, the Union Minister made this announcement on Sunday evening after paying obeisance at the Golden Temple in Amritsar. “Our party will enter the Punjab Assembly polls with full preparations to register its strong presence. We have launched the election preparation at the pious land of Punjab after taking blessings at the Golden Temple. We have taken a vow to serve the people of the state and strengthen our organisation,” Chirag, accompanied by his mother Reena Paswan, said.
The Union Minister asserted that the LJP(R) would expedite the expansion of its network across the northern state, increase the activity of its workers and intensify its mass public contact programme. He added that all preparations for the polls would be completed at a swift pace.
“We will go to the people with the issues of public service, development, and social justice. The LJP(R) will carve out a strong identity with the help of the people of Punjab and the hardwork of the party workers,” he added.
The LJP(R) is a part of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) governments at the Centre and in Bihar. It has a strong support base among the Scheduled Castes (SC) in the eastern state. Its founder, former Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan, was an eminent Dalit leader and the party has excelled as a progressive organisation under the leadership of his son Chirag Paswan.
Chirag also visited the Jallianwala Bagh to pay floral tributes to the martyrs’ memorial there, Dera Sachkhand Ballan, which is a Ravidasia or Ramdasia Dera, Bhagwan Valmiki memorial and Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar at Jalandhar.
While travelling from Amritsar to Jalandhar, the LJP(R) chief stopped his convoy after noticing an injured young woman lying on the roadside near Dera Sachkhand Ballan. He immediately instructed his team to shift the injured woman to a hospital in his vehicle and ensured that she received prompt medical attention.
The LJP(R) president’s visits indicate that he is seeking to woo the SC voters in Punjab. The state has around 32 percent Dalit population, the highest proportion among all the states in the country.
Punjab has 39 Dalit castes, among which the Mazhabi Sikhs, Ravidasias or Ramdasias, Ad-Dharmis, and Valmikis account for about 84 percent. A majority of the SC population in the state is predominantly rural. Its highest concentration is in the Doaba region – the land between the Beas and Sutlej rivers.
Incidentally, Chirag has strong personal links also with Punjab. His mother Reena (maiden name Reena Sharma) hails from Amritsar. Then an airhostess, Reena married Ram Vilas in 1982 as his second wife. Chirag Paswan is also known to have several relatives and friends in Punjab. His personal security detail includes several bodyguards from there.
By Dev Raj
Courtesy : ETV Bharat
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