Chirag Paswan comes of age, asserts himself inModi 3.0 Cabinet

Union minister of food processing industries in the Modi 3.0 government and the leader of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), Chirag Paswan, once a compliant junior partner, has started to assert his influence amidst the declining fortunes of the BJP, which now lacks a majority in the Lok Sabha and relies on the support of allies to remain in power. Paswan has backed the call for a nationwide caste census, a demand flagged aggressively by the leader of opposition Rahul Gandhi. Paswan was the first leader from within the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) to speak out against the Centre’s lateral entry scheme. The union minister said: “As a matter of fact, my views always reflected the government’s stand. A case in point is sending the Waqf Bill to the Joint Parliamentary Committee.” Many BJP leaders feel that Paswan is indirectly strengthening the opposition’s agenda and blamed BJP leadership for giving so much importance to Paswan by rewarding him with a cabinet berth, which is unusual for a first-time minister.