Swatantra Bhardwaj Controversy: Chirag Paswan’s LJP (RV) Seeks Action, Denies Political Link

Amid the ongoing controversy surrounding self-proclaimed Hindutva activist Swatantra Bhardwaj, Union Minister Chirag Paswan’s Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) has sought action against him.

The development came on Friday, hours after a purported video surfaced in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed to have political connections and boasted that he had faced no police action. In the video, he referred to Chirag Paswan as his “elder brother” and appeared to suggest that he had close ties with the Union minister.

Paswan, however, has denied having any association with Bhardwaj, saying that his name was being misused.

Bhardwaj was detained in Uttar Pradesh’s Bulandshahr on Friday, hours after the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) staged a major protest outside Delhi’s Parliament Street Police Station. The protest was held over Bhardwaj’s alleged attack on the father of a minor protester during demonstrations at Jantar Mantar in June.

Chirag Paswan Distances Himself From Bhardwaj

Chirag Paswan’s party has also filed a complaint against the Hindutva activist for allegedly “misusing” the Union minister’s name and falsely suggesting that he had political backing.

Paswan said that many people meet politicians in public life, but claiming to be a personal acquaintance based on such meetings amounts to misuse of their name.

According to PTI, Paswan said Bhardwaj had attempted to create the impression that police action had not been taken against him because of the minister and his party.

He said he had filed a formal complaint and urged the Delhi Police to conduct an impartial investigation into the matter.

Viral Video Shows Bhardwaj Claiming Political Backing

The controversy surrounding Bhardwaj intensified after a purported viral video showed him allegedly claiming to have “cracked” a person’s skull and referring to an attack on a protester’s father during the June protests in Delhi.

In the video, Bhardwaj also invoked the names of several political leaders while claiming to have their support.

According to a PTI report, he claimed that he had the blessings of Hanuman and referred to Kapil Mishra, Chirag Paswan and Prime Minister Narendra Modi as his “elder brothers”, while claiming that he had everyone’s support.

Delhi minister Kapil Mishra has not yet reacted to these claims. Paswan, however, has categorically denied having any association with Bhardwaj.

Paswan Backs Sanjay Azad

Paswan also expressed support for Sanjay Azad, who was allegedly attacked by Bhardwaj, saying that he and his party stood firmly with Azad and his family.

He said ensuring justice for them was a responsibility he and his party fully accepted and promised to work towards bringing the truth to light and ensuring appropriate action against anyone who was allegedly making a mockery of the law.

‘Should Have Been an Attempted Murder Case’

In the purported viral video, Bhardwaj was also allegedly heard saying that an “attempted murder” case should have been registered against him over his actions during the protest.

According to an earlier Hindustan Times report, he referred to Sanjay Azad suffering seven stitches to his head and being taken away in an ambulance, while claiming that he himself had not been sent to jail.

Bhardwaj later backtracked on the remarks and claimed that the video circulating online was “fake”.

Amid mounting outrage over the alleged attack, the viral video and the CJP’s protest outside the Delhi police station, Bhardwaj was detained in Bulandshahr on Friday.

Following the protest, police also added sections of the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act to the case.