PM among leaders across party lines to pay tributes
The country has lost one of its greatest Dalit and socialist leaders in Ram Vilas Paswan, former prime minister Manmohan Singh said Friday.
Paswan, the Union minister for consumer affairs, food and public distribution, died at a hospital in Delhi on Thursday, days after he underwent a heart surgery.
In a letter to the late Union minister’s son, Chirag Paswan, Singh described him as an important Dalit face in the central government. “In his death our country has lost one of its greatest Dalit and socialist leaders, who always stood for the cause of the poor and downtrodden people of the society. Ram Vilas Paswan ji was a very important Dalit face in the central government, of many parties,” the former PM said.
Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also paid tributes to the leader. Rahul, in his letter to Chirag Paswan, said he was deeply saddened by the sudden demise of his father. “We have lost a veteran leader who left a lasting imprint on politics and public service in both Bihar and our nation. In an illustrious public life spanning over five decades, he was the voice of the most marginalised sections of our society and defended the rights of the poor and the vulnerable,” he wrote. He said as a Member of Parliament and Union minister, Paswan voiced the interests and concerns of the poor with passion.
Union home minister Amit Shah visited Paswan’s residence, a Cabinet colleague, to pay his respects. “Paid tributes to our senior Union Minister Shri Ram Vilas Paswan ji. Paswan ji will always be remembered as a person with gentle behaviour and for his work related to public welfare. May the grace of God be on him and may his family have the strength to bear this loss,”
Shah tweeted in Hindi.
President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi also paid tributes to the LJP leader at his residence here.
Senior BJP leaders including JP Nadda, Giriraj Singh, Ravi Shankar Prasad, Rajnath Singh, Ashwini Kumar Choubey, also paid tributes to the leader.
A meeting of the Union Cabinet was convened on Friday to express condolences.
The Union Home Ministry has announced the national flag will fly at half mast in Delhi and capitals of all states and union territories on Friday as a mark of respect to Paswan.