Ram Vilas Paswan, Union minister of consumer affairs, food and public distribution passed away late on Thursday, son Chirag Paswan said. He recently underwent heart surgery in a Delhi hospital.
Paswan, one of the country’s most noted Dalit leaders, has been hospitalised for the last few weeks. He has long suffered from a heart condition, according to reports.
Paswan was born on 5 July in 1946 in a village near Khagaria, eastern Bihar. He completed a master’s and a law degree, passed the Bihar civil service examination, and was selected to be a deputy superintendent of police. Instead of accepting the job, he joined politics. Paswan first ran successfully for public office in 1969, when he was elected to a seat in the Bihar state legislative assembly.
An eight time Member of Parliament in Lok Sabha, Paswan went to jail during Indira Gandhi’s tenure when emergency was imposed in the country.
