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Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan Dies At 74: Know About ‘The Tall Dalit Leader’

Ram Vilas Paswan, an Indian Politician from Bihar and the Cabinet Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the Narendra Modi's government died on Thursday i.e., 8 October 2020 after suffering from a prolonged illness at the age of 74. It was on 4 October 2020, when he underwent a heart surgery.

Some Facts About Ram Vilas Paswan

People in Bihar consider him as a tall Dalit leader who worked extensively for the upliftment of people belonging to the marginalised sections of the society. While the nation, especially Bihar mourns the loss of such a dedicated politician, we are here to tell you some lesser-known facts related to him. Scroll down the article to read more.

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1. Ram Vilas Paswan was born on 5 July 1946 in a Dalit family in Khagaria, Bihar. His parents were Jamun Paswan (father) and Siya Devi (mother).

2. He completed his Bachelor of Laws from the Kosi College in Khagaria and then pursued Masters in Arts from Patna University.

3. In 1969, he was selected as the DSP in Bihar Police.

4. His political career began in 1969 with the Samyukta Socialist Party also known as the United Socialist Party. He was then elected as the member of the Bihar state Legislative Assembly.

5. In 1974, he became the general secretary of the Lok Dal..

6. During the Emergency, he grew closer to some of the prominent anti-emergency leaders such as Karpoori Thakur, Raj Narain and Satyendra Narayan Sinha.

7. He was also arrested and imprisoned for the entire Emergency period. After his release from jail in 1977, he joined the Janata Party and contested in the election. He won the election and his victory set a world record of winning an election by highest margin.

8. He re-contested from Hajipur Constituency in the 7th Lok Sabha election in 1980 and was elected as the Member of Parliament.

9. In order to work for the welfare of the Dalits, he founded an organisation named Dalit Sena. Later the organisation's name was changed to Scheduled Caste Sena and was then headed by his brother Ram Chandra Paswan.

10. He was re-elected in the 9th Lok Sabha election in 1989 as the Union Minister of Labour and Welfare in the Vishwanath Pratap Government.

11. In 1996, he became the Union Railway Minister. He held the post till 1998.

12. Paswan then served as the Union Communication Minister from October 1999 to September 2001. This is when he was shifted to the Coal Ministry where he served till April 2002.

13. It was in 2000, when Ram Vilas Paswan quit the Janata Dal to form his own party named Lok Janshakti Party (LJP).

14. In the 2004 Lok Sabha Elections, Paswan along with his party joined the United Progressive Alliance (UPA). He then served as the Union Minister in the Ministry of Chemical And Fertilizers and Ministry of Steel.

15. In the 2005 Bihar state election Paswan's Party LJP contested the election with the Indian National Congress (INC). None of the two parties' election results were enough to form a government, not even through alliance. This is when Nitish Kumar, the current chief minister of Bihar persuaded the 12 members of LJP to defect.

16. This is when the then Bihar's Governor Buta Singh dissolved the state legislature and called for a fresh state election. Yet Paswan's party and his alliance did not manage to do well.

17. In the 2009, Indian General Election, Paswan formed an alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav and his Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) party. In the same election, for the first time in 33 years, he lost his seat from Hajipur Constituency in Bihar.

18. Even in the 2015 Loksabha Election, his party couldn't win any seat. Even his coalition party, RJD couldn't do well and was reduced to only 4 seats.

19. However, in the 16th Lok Sabha Election in 2014, Paswan won from Hajipur Constituency while his son who is an actor-turned-politician Chirag Paswan won from Jamui.

20. After this, Paswan was given the charge of the Ministry of Consumer Affair, Food and Public Distribution and continued to serve till 2019.

21. In the early 1960s, he was married to Rajkumari Devi whom he divorced in 1981 but didn't disclose the matter until his 2014 Loksabha Election nomination papers were challenged.

22. He married Reena Paswan in the year 1983. The couple together have a daughter and son.

23. He has two daughters Usha and Asha from his first wife.

24. His demise news was confirmed by his son Chirag Paswan on Twitter who said, 'Papa you are not with us. But I know wherever I go, you will always be with me. Miss you Papa'.

Moments after Chirag confirmed the death of his father, various politicians expressed their grief. Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, "I am saddened beyond words. There is a void in our nation that will perhaps never be filled. Shri Ram Vilas Paswan Ji's demise is a personal loss. I have lost a friend, valued colleague and someone who was extremely passionate to ensure every poor person leads a life of dignity."

His death ahead of Bihar state election 2020, people of Bihar will miss his contribution and hard work.

Story first published: Friday, October 9, 2020, 12:49 [IST]