President, Prime minister, union ministers n leaders across political spectrum pay their floral tributes to Ram Vilas Paswan
Several political leaders across ideological affiliations paid their richest floral tributes to the towering leader of the down troddens, Dalits and backwards classes of the country Ram Vilas Paswan at his Delhi residence who breathed his last on Thursday evening.
His body was brought to his Janpath Road residence from All India Institute of Medical Science yesterday evening where he was admitted for the last few weeks suffering from multiple health complications. Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan was operated for heart complications.
The president Ram Nath Kovind, prime minister Narendra Modi, union minister Shiv Shankar Prasad, home minister Amit Shah, BJP president JP Nadda, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Ashwani Kumar Choubey, RPI leader , minister Ram Das Athawale, Jitendra Kumar and former Congress president Rahul Gandhi n other leaders of the ruling n opposition parties laid wreaths paying their richest tributes.
The president Ram Nath Kovind n prime minister Narendra Modi spoke to the wife n son of the late leader n union minister and consoled them. The PM was seen laying his hand on the shoulder of Chirag Paswan and consoling him.
He stayed there with the aggrieved family for sometime before leaving speaking to Mrs Paswan n his son Chirag Paswan. Several leaders of other political parties also paid their tributes who included Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, Nationalist Congress chief Sharad Pawar, RJD leader Laloo Prasad Yadav’s daughter Misa Bharti, member of Parliament Pragya Thakur etc.
The body of the national leader Ram Vilas Paswan would be taken to Patna at two PM and will be kept for Darshan today to be finally consigned to flames bading final adieu by his family tomorrow. Ram Vilas Paswan was born n brought up in Bihar who started his political career from here, having been born on 5th July 1948. union minister of Consumer Affair n Public distribution Ram Vilas Paswan was also the president of the LJP Party .
He had been the nine-time LS member and Rajya Sabha MP, having worked with six prime ministers as union minister of various ministries. Paswan started his political career as member of Samyukta Socialist Party and was elected as Bihar lawmaker in the year 1969 for the first time. He thereafter joined the Lok Dal after its formation in 1974, and was appointed as its general secretary.
He was highly influenced by the leader of the total revolution Jai Prakash Narayan and opposed the draconian emergency imposed by the then prime minister Indira Gandhi as a promising youth leader with Sharad Yadav n others. He was arrested and jailed for several months.
He won for the first time as the Lok Sabha MP in 1977 , as the then ruling Janata Party member of Parliament from Hajipur constituency. Was chosen again in for seven consecutive terms in 1980, 1989, 1996 and 1998, 1999, 2004, and 2014 setting a record in itself. During the prime minister Vishwanath Pratap Singh from 1989 to 91 he was immensely instrumental in passing of Mandal Commission recommendations in both the house of parliament giving reservation to the Other backward classes in adition to the already existing reservation to the SCST classes, evoking national level outrage.
Ram Vilas Paswan was the undisputed leader of the down troddens, backwards n Dalits in the country and carried a vast following in Bihar.
