Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) chief and Union minister Chirag Paswan shared an emotional post on social media on the death anniversary of his father Ram Vilas Paswan on Wednesday.
The post, which comes amid the seat-sharing talks for the Bihar Assembly elections, is also seen as a pointed message to the BJP and other parties of the National Democratic Alliance.
"Papa always used to say –' Don't commit crime, don't tolerate crime. If you want to live, learn to die, learn to fight at every step',” Chirag wrote on Facebook.
In another post, the young leader said he remained committed to his father's vision of ‘Bihar First, Bihari First’.
"The time has come to realise the dream you envisioned for the comprehensive and all-round development of Bihar. Fulfilling the responsibility you entrusted to my shoulders is the purpose and duty of my life,” he said.
Chirag termed the upcoming assembly elections as a “grand festival of democracy” and an opportunity to fulfil his father’s resolve—to give Bihar a new direction and realise the dreams of every Bihari.
"I am determined to carry forward the caravan of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) you founded. It is the dream of every party worker and office bearer that your dreams be fulfilled in the upcoming elections," he added.
Chirag hopes to play a major role in the elections, with his party demanding a minimum of 45 to 54 assembly seats from the BJP and JD(U), leaving the seat-sharing talks in the doldrums.
According to reports, Chirag is keen on certain constituencies seen to be friendlier to his party's prospects and has asked for being allotted a couple of assembly seats in each of the five Lok Sabha constituencies it had won in 2024.
In the last elections in 2020, when the JD(U) was not part of the NDA, the LJP managed to inflict serious damage to Nitish Kumar’s party, though it could win only one of the over 135 seats it had contested.
On Tuesday, senior BJP leaders, including the party's Bihar polls in-charge Dharmendra Pradhan, held talks with Chirag over the regional party's share of seats.
Besides the BJP, JD(U) and LJP, other allies in the NDA included Union minister Jitan Ram Manjhi-led Hindustani Awam Morcha (Secular) and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha.
Polling to the 243-member assembly will be held in two phases on November 6 and 11, and the counting will be held on November 14.