Ram Vilas Paswan, who was a minister in PM Modi’s cabinet, died at a Delhi hospital on Thursday where he was recuperating from heart surgery.
New Delhi:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Ram Vilas Paswan residence in New Delhi to pay his last respects to the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP) leader who died yesterday.
PM Modi was accompanied by senior BJP leaders including party president JP Nadda at Mr Paswan’s residence where the body of the Bihar politician is kept.
Mr Paswan, who was a minister in PM Modi’s cabinet, died at a Delhi hospital on Thursday where he was recuperating from heart surgery. He was 74.
PM Modi, in his condolence message yesterday, had remembered the Dalit icon was a friend and valued colleague whose interventions during Cabinet Meetings were insightful.
His body was brought from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) early this morning. Mr Paswan, who is from Bihar, will be cremated in state capital Patna tomorrow. Law and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad will represent the central government and the union council of ministers at the funeral.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Union Ministers Ravi Shankar Prasad and Giriraj Singh also paid last respects to the leader.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi paid tribute to the Union Minister through a letter to his son Chirag Paswan. In the letter, Mr Gandhi said the veteran Dalit leader had left a lasting impact on the country’s politics.
“Dear Chirag, I am deeply saddened by the sudden demise of your father Shri Ram Vilas Paswan. We have lost a veteran leader who left a lasting imprint on politics and public service in both Bihar and our nation,” Mr Gandhi said in the letter.
In the evening, Ram Vilas Paswan body’s will be flown in a special aircraft to Patna, where it will be kept at the Legislative Assembly. It will be later taken to party office in Patna for party workers to pay their last respects.
From 8 am tomorrow, his body will be kept at his residence before being taken from funeral at 1:30 pm.
Ram Vilas Paswan has been a minister in almost all Central governments formed since 1989 and served six Prime ministers, starting with the cabinet of VP Singh. In PM Modi’s cabinet, he was in charge of the Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution portfolios.
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