LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan (left) and his son Chirag at the rally in Patna on Monday. Picture by Deepak Kumar

Patna, Nov. 28: Smarting over the worst-ever debacle in the last Lok Sabha and Assembly polls and loss of his legislators and MPs to the rival JD(U), Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan today looked like passing on the baton to his young actor son, Chirag.

The LJP’s 12th foundation day function turned out to be an occasion for Chirag to take centre-stage with the senior Paswan and his second wife, Reena, pegging the star son. And Chirag did not disappoint, at least, on the political stage at Gandhi Maidan. He spoke with felicity, attacking the Nitish Kumar government with youthful gusto.

Chirag, who made his debut on the screen with Miley Naa Miley Hum was quite diplomatic in his speech. Without taking the name of Nitish Kumar, his father’s long-time colleague, Chirag attacked the government in and out. “If the government is talking about development and jobs, why are people from Bihar migrating to other states for livelihood?” he asked.

Unlike many of his socialist colleagues, the senior Paswan is known for his penchant for decent clothes and make-up. Living up to his father’s style and dress sense, the junior Paswan, already in showbiz, was attired in a decent black suit.

Chirag said: “Acting is my passion, while politics is in my blood”, drawing applause from the LJP’s Dalit cadres assembled at the venue. “We have come to catch a glimpse of Chirag. He is our pride for he is, probably, the first Dalit boy from Bihar to be in Bollywood,” said a worker from Khagaria. Paswan’s speech was confined to Nitish and the latter’s “cynical way of splitting the rival parties”. Nitish has virtually wounded LJP by bringing many of its elected representatives into the JD(U) fold.