BJP’s ally woes mount, LJP’s Chirag Paswan gives ultimatum

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ally troubles have escalated as Ram Vilas Paswan and his son Chirag Paswan have given an ultimatum regarding the SC/ST act. They have taken their protests up a notch by threatening to join anti-government protests by Dalit organisations next months, if their demands are not fulfilled.

LJP (Lok Janata Party) wants the removal of Justice AK Goel as chief of the National Green Tribunal. The retired judge was in the Supreme Court bench that is accused by Dalit groups of diluting a law meant for their protection by placing curbs on the arrest of people under the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Act. The top court restricted the arrest of accused under the law without any police verification, and allowed them to get bail.

“If our demand is not met by August 9, then LJP will join Dalit protesters,” said Chirag Paswan while addressing the media.

“Our support to the NDA is issue-based,” added the 34-year-old whose father Ram Vilas Paswan is a minister in PM Modi’s government. But he stopped short of threatening a split, saying that the LJP would not walk out of the BJP-led alliance like the Telugu Desam Party (TDP). “We will fight for Dalit rights as part of the government. Our patience is running out, hope the PM will act on our demands,” Paswan Junior told reporters. This comes after the TDP quit the NDA in March, citing the “unfulfilled promise” for special status for Andhra Pradesh.

Chirag Paswan had yesterday written to PM Modi asking for the immediate sacking of Justice Goel from the National Green Tribunal. In separate letters to PM Modi, Mr Paswan and his son also demanded a bill to restore the provisions of the SC/ST Prevention of Atrocities Act in parliament. In case bringing a bill is not possible at this point, it should be done through an executive order or ordinance, they said. On April 2, nearly a dozen people died in violence that flared up across five states when Dalit groups called for a Bharat Bandh or nationwide shutdown to protest against the Supreme Court order. Dalit anger against the BJP has left its allies nervous ahead of the 2019 election in states like Bihar where the community constitutes 16 per cent of the votes.