Union Minister Athawale advises Chirag Paswan to stay in Delhi delay move to Bihar

Patna, May 22 (PTI) Union Minister Ramdas Athawale on Thursday said Chirag Paswan, his young cabinet colleague from Bihar, should "stay in Delhi" for some time and delay his plans of relocating to Bihar.
    The Republican Party of India (RPI) chief made this remark during a press conference in response to Paswan's repeated statement, "Bihar is calling me".
    This has sparked excitement within Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), prompting the party to put up posters positioning the Hajipur MP as the "next Chief Minister."
    "I do not think Chirag should consider shifting base to Bihar. It would be better for him to stay in Delhi for some time," said Athawale, who, like Paswan, is a Dalit leader.
    He also took the opportunity to remind Paswan of the 2020 assembly elections, which the latter fought separately from the BJP-led NDA, "ignoring the advice of his late father, Ram Vilas Paswan."
    "It is true that Chirag made an impact in the elections. The party which he was heading got a substantial number of votes. But it could not win any seat", said Athawale.
    The Maharashtra leader said although his party now has a presence much beyond the western state, "we realise that we are not yet a force to reckon with in Bihar. A reason why we would demand no seats in the assembly polls due here in a few months. But we will make efforts to ensure the victory of the NDA".
    The Union Minister again urged the Bihar government to amend the provisions of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act-1949 so that management of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara temple can be handed over to the Buddhists.
    "Last time when I visited Patna, I met Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and urged him to intervene in the ongoing protests by Buddhists in Bodh Gaya demanding control over the Mahabodhi Mahavihara temple. I again request the state government to amend the provisions of the Bodh Gaya Temple Act-1949 so that management of the Mahabodhi Mahavihara temple can be handed over to Buddhists. A separate trust should be created for Buddhists and the temple land should be handed over to the trust".
    Buddhists are demanding that people from other religions should not be part of the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee (BTMC), which oversees the management of the world-famous Mahabodhi temple, he said.
    The BTMC comprises four Buddhists and four Hindus while the Gaya district magistrate serves as its ex-officio chairman.
    "I demand the authorities to address the issue and ensure Buddhist control over the temple management committee by repealing the Bodh Gaya Temple Act, 1949", said Athawale.
    Asked about Operation Sindoor, Athawale said, "Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the armed forces gave a befitting reply to Pakistan when the enemy country targeted our civilians in Pahalgam".

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)