Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan dies at 74

Chirag Paswan, LJP leader took to Twitter on Thursday to announce the death of his father Union Consumer Affairs Minister Ram Vilas Paswan.

Union Minister Ram Vilas Paswan died in a Delhi hospital on Thursday evening. He was 74. The senior Dalit leader from Bihar had been unwell for a few weeks. His son and LJP leader, Chirag Paswan, tweeted, “Papa is no more in this world, but I know wherever you are, you are always with me. Miss you Papa.”

Ram Vilas Paswan was the Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution. On Saturday (October 3), Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah called up Chirag Paswan to enquire about his father’s health. They praised Chirag Paswan for the way he has taken care of his father. The senior Paswan had undergone heart surgery and was likely to undergo another one in a few weeks.

Ram Vilas Paswan had been in active politics for more than five decades and was regarded as one of India’s noted Dalit leaders.

He had been hospitalised for the last few weeks and was operated upon at a private hospital in the national capital. He had been suffering from a heart condition for a long time.

Ram Vilas Paswan had been part of the Narendra Modi government since 2014 and was currently holding the portfolio of Union Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.

Dalit leader Jitan Ram Manjhi said India lost a great leader with Paswan’s death and he lost a big brother. “This tragedy is unbearable for me. His absence will always trouble me,” Manjhi added.

पापा….अब आप इस दुनिया में नहीं हैं लेकिन मुझे पता है आप जहां भी हैं हमेशा मेरे साथ हैं।
Miss you Papa… pic.twitter.com/Qc9wF6Jl6Z

— युवा बिहारी चिराग पासवान (@iChiragPaswan) October 8, 2020