Patna: Union minister and LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan today backed Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar’s remarks on dynastic politics saying it should not be promoted at the cost of merit.

He said if someone has the merit and capability to become a leader then they should not be stopped from entering into politics just because of their political lineage.

Earlier in the day, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar had disapproved of Rahul Gandhi’s remark that dynasties are a fact of life in India, saying he is personally against such politics which was “generated” by the Congress.

“To say that ‘parivarwad’ (family hegemony) is acceptable in Indian politics is not true….To say that a person born into a political family has merit to rule is wrong…If a comparison is made, it would be found that performance of non- dynasts in high positions as compared to dynasts is far better,” he said.

When asked to comment on Nitish’s observations, Paswan said whatever the Bihar CM had said was right.

“It is up to the people to decide whether or not the person has merit,” Paswan told reporters on the sidelines of a programme here.

Interestingly, some of Paswan’s family members are well- placed in politics. One of his brothers, Ramchandra Paswan, is a Lok Sabha member from Samastipur. Another brother, Pashupati Kumar Paras, is the state unit chief of LJP and a minister in the Nitish Kumar government.

Pashupati Paras was also recently nominated to the state legislative council from the governor’s quota.

Paswan’s son Chirag successfully contested the Lok Sabha election from the Jamui constituency in Bihar in 2014. He is also the chairman of LJP’s central parliamentary board.

“Chirag would excel in any field if he has the merit,” said Paswan, who is the union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution.

He also criticised RJD chief Lalu Prasad for anointing his wife Rabri Devi as the Bihar Chief Minister after he was chargesheeted in a fodder scam case.

On simultaneous holding of Lok Sabha and assembly polls, Paswan said it would be a right step.

“Development work gets halted with elections being held every now and then. Simultaneous polls will also save money spent during elections,” the minister said