On the day the government planned to introduce the Waqf Amendment Bill in the Lok Sabha, LJP leader and prominent NDA ally Chirag Paswan stepped out of the Parliament’s ‘Makr Dwar’ and made it clear to CNN-News18 that his party strongly advocates sending the Bill to a parliamentary committee first. This was not an isolated instance where Paswan’s party, with only five MPs in the Lok Sabha, asserted its influence beyond its numerical strength. A few days prior, LJP MP Shambhavi Choudhary had expressed the party’s disagreement with the Supreme Court’s ruling on subcategorizing the SC quota and excluding the creamy layer. Chirag Paswan escalated this stance by announcing that his party would file a review petition before the Supreme Court.
On Monday, Paswan once again voiced his dissent—this time against the government’s decision to hire 45 professionals through lateral entry without adhering to the reservation policy.
In response to the mounting pressure, the government has since referred the Waqf Amendment Bill to a Joint Parliamentary Committee. Moreover, the Union Cabinet decided against implementing the Supreme Court’s decision regarding the creamy layer in the SC quota, and on Tuesday, the government canceled the lateral entry advertisement. Chirag Paswan expressed his gratitude to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for reversing these decisions.
Among the NDA allies like TDP (with 16 MPs), JDU (12 MPs), and Shiv Sena (7 MPs), it is the LJP, despite having only five MPs, that has become the most vocal and influential ally, compelling the government to reconsider its decisions. Paswan, who also holds a cabinet minister position, has often described himself as the ‘Hanuman’ of Narendra Modi and has been a fierce critic of Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, especially before Kumar rejoined the NDA.
Caste Politics Taking Center Stage
Insiders within the LJP reveal that Paswan is acutely aware of the caste dynamics that could potentially damage the NDA’s political standing. The 2015 ‘Bihar Lesson’ looms large, when a comment by RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat about reviewing reservations negatively impacted the BJP’s performance in the state assembly elections, leading to a victory for the JDU-RJD alliance that capitalized on the issue. Paswan has consistently advocated for a nationwide caste census, a stance that contrasts with the BJP’s position.
Recognizing the political risks, the Modi government swiftly reversed the lateral entry decision, anticipating that the opposition could exploit it in the upcoming assembly elections, thereby jeopardizing the BJP’s prospects. The narrative around caste has gained prominence, especially after Rahul Gandhi made it a central theme in recent Lok Sabha elections, accusing the government of trying to alter the reservation system. The BJP, keen on not giving the Congress any political leverage, has acted accordingly.
It is anticipated that a revised lateral entry scheme will be introduced in time for the assembly elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand, incorporating a 60 percent reservation in such processes to mitigate any political fallout.