My detractors conspiring to blow me up with bomb: Chirag Paswan tells rally in Bihar's Munger
Munger (Bihar), Jul 19 (PTI): In a sensational claim, Union minister Chirag Paswan on Saturday told a rally in Bihar that a "conspiracy" to blow him up "with a bomb" has been hatched by his detractors, who have ceaselessly tried to "break" him.
The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) president made the statement in Munger district, where he hurled several barbs at his estranged uncle Pashupati Kumar Paras, and Lalu Prasad's RJD with which the latter has aligned, without mentioning by name any of his opponents.
"Many people are upset with Chirag Paswan's 'Bihar First, Bihari First' slogan, which strikes at the roots of their caste politics. Such people had caused the state to sink in poverty and backwardness while in power and now, ahead of the Assembly polls, they are trying to fob people off with false promises", said the Hajipur MP, in remarks that may be seen as aimed at Prasad's younger son and heir apparent Tejashwi Yadav, who is heading the INDIA bloc charge in the state.
Paswan, who had ended up isolated in the Lok Janshakti Party founded by his late father Ram Vilas Paswan, as a result of a split engineered by Paras, also spoke of the days he had to spend in political wilderness until he was redeemed by the BJP, with an offer of alliance in Lok Sabha polls last year.
"There have always been attempts by Chirag Paswan's detractors to stop him. They split his party and, later, got him dragged out of his house, leaving him to fend for himself on the streets. But nothing could break Chirag Paswan", said the 43-year-old leader, who of late has been referring to himself in the third person at public meetings.
Paswan's uncle, after splitting the party, had landed a berth in the Narendra Modi government while the founder's son was forced to vacate the 12, Janpath bungalow in New Delhi which had for years served as the residence of the late leader and the office of the LJP.
The LJP has since ceased to exist and splinter groups headed by the nephew and the uncle, whose party is called Rashtriya Lok Janshakti Party, have been recognised as separate political entities by the Election Commission.
Paras, who had defended the split in 2021, voicing disapproval of his nephew's revolt against the NDA in Assembly polls held a year earlier, ended up quitting the BJP-led coalition following the saffron party's decision to accommodate the latter.
He finally announced his exit from the NDA a few months ago and last week Tejashwi Yadav made it clear that Paras "has already been working as one of our allies" and would soon be formally inducted into the opposition coalition.
Paswan, after speaking at length about the failed attempts to "break him", said "now they have hatched a new conspiracy. They are now trying to blow me up with a bomb (bomb se uda denge)".
"But they forget that Chirag Paswan is a tiger's cub (sher ka beta). He does not know how to bend and it is impossible to scare him", said the Union minister.
Members of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), when asked about their president's stunning claim, replied on condition of anonymity that "it may have been a reference to the FIR lodged recently against a social media troll. Chirag ji may have made use of it for rhetoric".
The allusion was to a police complaint lodged at cyber police station in Patna, by the party's chief spokesman Rajesh Kumar Bhatt, against an Instagram user who had threatened to blow up Paswan.
Although the police complaint spoke about "people afraid of Chirag Paswan's growing popularity", it made no mention of any particular party or individual. Nonetheless, the LJP(RV) had alleged on its social media handles that the Instagram user was "an RJD supporter".
VIDEO | Bihar: Addressing a public meeting in Munger, Union Minister Chirag Paswan (@iChiragPaswan) says, "It suits the opposition leaders to divide us based on caste and religion. They understand that if we, especially the youth of Bihar, come together, then not only Bihar, but… pic.twitter.com/AkIobDjO5j
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) July 19, 2025
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Ladakh a living land of dharma for centuries: Amit Shah
Leh/Jammu (PTI): Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday described the return of sacred relics of Lord Buddha to Ladakh after 75 years as a "historic reunion" and said that the Union Territory has remained a "living land of dharma", preserving and nurturing Buddhist knowledge for centuries.
Stressing the relevance of Buddha's teachings in modern times, Shah said the message of peace, compassion and the middle path was even more important today than it was 2,500 years ago.
"Ladakh has been a living land of dharma for centuries. When the Dalai Lama comes here, he says this land is not merely a geographical land but a living laboratory of Buddhist culture and compassion," Shah said, speaking after the inauguration of the sacred holy relics exposition of Tathagata Buddha and the 2569th Buddha Purnima celebrations at Jivetsal in Leh during his two-day visit to Ladakh.
Calling Ladakh a land of compassion, he said this land has preserved and nurtured knowledge. "Whenever Buddhism faced crises, this land worked to protect the teachings of Buddha. And when peace returned, it helped to expand and carry forward that preserved wisdom," he added.
"Unless one internalises knowledge and makes it a part of oneself, liberation is not possible. Knowledge is incomplete without spiritual practice, while spiritual practice without knowledge is blind. Therefore, the union of spiritual practice and knowledge is the right path. Even after all this, if there is no moral discipline, one cannot lead a truly wise life. The basis of a life of wisdom is moral discipline," he said.
Shah said it was through Ladakh and adjoining routes that the teachings of Tathagata Buddha, which originated in India, spread to China and several other countries.
"The message that emerged from the land of Ladakh has become a guiding force for many people around the world to take their lives forward. The presence of these sacred relics in Ladakh reminds us that India's civilisation has, for thousands of years, given the message of peace and coexistence," he said.
He said that in a diverse region like Ladakh and Kargil, this message becomes even more relevant. "This heritage still tells us today that amidst conflict and unrest, only the path of peace and compassion can provide solutions."
He said the return of the relics on Buddha Purnima had enhanced the significance of the festival for the people of Ladakh.
"These sacred relics have come to Ladakh after 75 years. It is as if Buddha himself is present here today," Shah said, adding that followers of Buddhism and people of other faiths in Ladakh and Kargil would draw spiritual energy from the relics.
Highlighting Ladakh's role in the spread of Buddhism, Shah said Kashmir was once an ancient centre of Buddhist studies, Mahayana philosophy and Buddhist art, from where Ladakh first came into close contact with Buddhism.
He said Emperor Ashoka's envoys laid the foundation of Buddhist influence in Ladakh through Kashmir and Gandhara, while Mahayana Buddhism expanded in the region during the Kushan period between the first and third centuries CE.
The Silk Route linking Kashmir, Leh, Yarkand, Khotan and Tibet became a channel not only for trade but also for ideas, monks, manuscripts and artistic traditions, Shah said.
He added that later, Tibetan influence between the seventh and tenth centuries further enriched Ladakh through Mahayana and Vajrayana traditions.
Stressing the relevance of Buddha's teachings in modern times, Shah said the message of peace, compassion and the middle path was even more important today than it was 2,500 years ago.
"Amid conflict and unrest, only the path of peace and compassion can provide solutions," he said.
Shah also appealed to the Ladakh administration to ensure complete arrangements so that followers of all faiths, especially Buddhists, could visit and pay obeisance to the relics.
#WATCH लेह, लद्दाख: केंद्रीय गृह मंत्री अमित शाह ने कहा, "जब दलाई लामा यहां आते हैं तो वे कहते हैं कि यह भूमि केवल भौगोलिक भूमि नहीं है। यह भूमि बौद्ध संस्कृति और करुणा की जीवंत प्रयोगशाला है। इस भूमि पर ज्ञान का संरक्षण हुआ है... भारत की सभ्यता हजारों वर्षों से शांति का संदेश… https://t.co/2nwG0w2CE6 pic.twitter.com/W13itRBqeX
— ANI_HindiNews (@AHindinews) May 1, 2026
