Chirag Paswan Distances Himself from Swatantra Bhardwaj For ‘Misusing’ His Name, Party Files Complaints; CJP Takes A Dig

Union Minister Chirag Paswan-led Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) on Friday filed a complaint at the Parliament Street Police Station against Swatantra Bhardwaj, alleging that he falsely and publicly invoked the name of the leader to claim political protection. In his one-hour interview, which went viral on YouTube, Bhardwaj claimed to have political connections and said Chirag Paswan is like his "elder brother".

The party has sought an FIR against Bhardwaj and requested the police to place on record that the party has no connection with the matter. It has also urged the police to take strict action against the accused.

LJP(RV) files complaint Swatantra Bhardwaj

Earlier today, Chirag Paswan asserted that he was “taking full responsibility” to ensure justice for Delhi student activist Nishu Azad’s father, Sanjay Azad, who was attacked and seriously injured during the protests at Jantar Mantar.

“In public life, many people come to meet us. But if somebody claims, on this very basis to be a personal acquaintance of ours, then that is a misuse of our name. The attacker has sought to give the impression that action has not been taken against him because of me and my party. I have lodged a formal complaint against this misuse of my name,” said Paswan.

The Hajipur MP said, “It is indeed a serious matter that the student activist’s father was beaten so severely that he could have died. The attacker has the temerity to brag about the incident on TV, and he roams scot-free. I take full responsibility to ensure justice to the aggrieved family by pursuing the matter with Delhi police.”

Reactions poured in following Chirag Paswan's statement. CJP co-convener Saurav Das took a sarcastic dig on X, saying, "Chacha toh vidhayak the humare??" (Wasn't uncle our MLA?), appearing to mock Bhardwaj's earlier claims of political proximity to Paswan.

Congress spokesperson Supriya Shrinate also weighed in, writing in Hindi that the "hate-monger" had been calling Paswan his "brother"; however, he was now the first to distance himself and file a complaint against him, adding that "all illusions will break, one by one".

A video clip of an interview went viral in which Bhardwaj is heard boasting about "cracking the skull" of Sanjay Azad, the father of the student activist, during the July 20 protest of Cockroach Janta Party (CJP). Bhardwaj was detained from Bulandshahr in Uttar Pradesh on Friday.

The detention came hours after Delhi Police assured CJP protesters that he would be arrested within 72 hours following an agitation at the Parliament Street Police Station.

Apoorva Shukla is a journalist at Times Now, where she thrives on dissecting political developments both at home and abroad. A graduate of Delhi Univ... View More