Ram Vilas Paswan passed away earlier this month after his condition deteriorated following heart surgery. Chirag Paswan made the official announcement of his father's passing by posting a throwback photo of his father hugging him while he was a child along with an emotional message. With only few hours left for ballots to open in Bihar, the actor turned politician is seen stepping into his responsibility as the party president and rehearsing for the manifesto. But a behind-the-scenes (BTS) video from Paswan's rehearsal has gone viral for all the wrong reasons.
The leaked footage shows Paswan instructing the cameraperson on how to shoot the video - all while his father's photo was in the backdrop.
"Arey bhai texture alag hota hai har kisi ke baal ka.. Main ek kaam karta hoon, shuru ki lines hai," Paswan can be heard saying. He also asks if the video is being shot using a single camera.
"Azadi ke 75 saal baad bhi Bihar ko pichhda pradesh kaha jaata hai.. And I lost the plot. Let's do this from the beginning," he says towards the end of the clip.
This must be a tough thing to do. Shooting, acting, taking retakes after retakes, trying to milk your father's passing. YES Chirag, YOU LOST THE PLOT.
— Gaurav Pandhi (@GauravPandhi) October 27, 2020
शायद इसी शौक के वजह से आप मोदी जी को अपना मानते हैं!
Watch till the end to know how shallow & fake these people are! pic.twitter.com/iwzPMF0UqJ
Netizens took notice of this and criticized the young leader. The video has since gone viral on social media, being watched thousands of times.
Chirag responds
Paswan lashed out at the opposition for using this video as a way to malign his image. "I don't know with what motive the clip is being spread. Do I need to prove that I'm sad on my father's death? Didn't expect CM to do such low-level politics. He's scared he'll go to jail in my government," Paswan said.
In addition, the Lok Janshakti Party also issued a statement blaming the JD(U) for the faux pas.
"Now Nitish Kumar is convinced that he is going to lose the polls. If a party has to contest, videos have to be shot. What do people of JD(U) want to prove by releasing this video? This video was being shot for the party's manifesto. Videos are being shot every day. What's the problem with that? The people of Bihar will give a befitting reply to Nitish Kumar. His departure is now confirmed," LJP said in a statement.