Ram Vilas Paswan no more: PM Modi, President Kovind mourn loss of a 'true visionary'

Expressing deep sorrow on the loss of 74-year-old parliamentarian Ram Vilas Paswan, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, lauded Paswan's political struggle resisting tyranny and the assault on our democracy during the Emergency. He added that Paswan's demise is a personal loss for him as he has lost a friend, valued colleague and someone who was extremely passionate to ensure every poor person leads a life of dignity. President Kovind too said that loss of Paswan marked the loss of a visionary.

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PM Modi & Prez Kovind mourn loss 

He added, "Working together, shoulder to shoulder with Paswan Ji has been an incredible experience. His interventions during Cabinet Meetings were insightful. From political wisdom, statesmanship to governance issues, he was brilliant. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti."

Union Minister & LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan passes away in Delhi at age 74

Ram Vilas Paswan no more

Taking to Twitter, LJP president and Paswan's son Chirag confirmed that Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan passed away at a hospital in the national capital on Thursday. Since the last few weeks, the veteran political leader hailing from Bihar had been hospitalized. He underwent heart surgery on October 4. Bihar will vote in 3 phases - October 28, November 3, and November 7, with the results being declared on November 10.

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Paswan's career

Born on July 5, 1946, Paswan was the founder of the Lok Janshakti Party. His first foray in electoral politics was successful after he was elected to the Bihar Assembly in 1969 as a Samyukta Socialist Party candidate. He was one of the prominent politicians who was jailed during the Emergency. From 1977 onwards, he was continuously elected to the Lok Sabha barring for 1984 and 2009. He served as a Union Minister in both UPA as well as NDA regimes. On June 28, 2019, he was elected unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Bihar. 

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After the Janata Dal split into two factions, he along with some other members formed the LJP in November 2000. From 1977 onwards, he was continuously elected to the Lok Sabha barring for 1984 and 2009. He served as a Union Minister in the National Front governments (1989-90 and 1996-98), the Atal Bihar Vajpayee-led NDA government (1999-2002), the UPA government (2004-2009) and the Narendra Modi-led government (2014-2020).