Former socialist leader Jai Prakash Narayan inspired a generation of youth leaders who were tempered during the Emergency of 1975-1977 as they were incarcerated under the draconian provisions. Twentynine-year-old Ram Vilas Paswan was one of them. He spent the entire Emergency period in jail.
The only claim to fame Paswan had at that time was his election as MLA in 1969 on a ticket of Samyukta Socialist Party. When Paswan came out of jail, and went on to contest Lok Sabha elections from Hajipur in 1977, immediately after the Emergency, he won by a record margin of 4.24 lakh. This not only earned the dalit leader stardom across the country, as he wrested the seat from the Congress but also a place in the Guinness Book of Records.
Jai Prakash Narayan left behind rich legacy, which leaders like Paswan, Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar followed as they dominated the politics of Bihar. Paswan passed away on October 8, the day that marked the 41st death anniversary of socialist icon Jai Prakash Narayan. Paswan was 74.
Paswan passed away at a private hospital in Delhi after his condition deteriorated following a heart operation. He will be cremated with full state honours in Patna on Saturday. The consumer affairs minister's death was announced by his son and Lok Janshakti Party chief Chirag Paswan, 37, on Thursday evening.
Paswan's death came at a time when his son took the biggest political gamble of his life, causing a churn in Bihar politics. Hours earlier, the Lok Janshakti Party had released the list of candidates for the upcoming state elections in which tickets were given to at least four senior BJP leaders. The LJP is taking on the Nitish Kumar-led JD(U) as Chirag accused the incumbent chief minister of humiliating his father. The letter Chirag had written to J.P. Nadda, president of the BJP, his ally, detailing the reasons behind his decision to go solo was made public some time before Paswan senior's death.
Chirag will now be alone to navigate the difficult political terrain of Bihar, unlike his father who was a consummate politician and had friends across the political spectrum as he had established himself as dalit leader of repute. He won Hajipur seat eight times, losing only twice. During the 2019 elections, he decided to entire Parliament through the Rajya Sabha route with the help of BJP and Nitish Kumar.
Born in a dalit family in Khagaria in July 1946, Paswan studied law. As a 23-year-old, he made a choice that shaped his career. He was elected as MLA, and selected as DSP in state police in 1969. “A friend asked me if I wanted to be government or servant. I chose politics since then,” Paswan had recounted. He along with Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar were the tallest leaders to emerge from Janata Parivar with a socialist background.
Known for his uncanny sense to spot the political atmosphere in the country especially during the elections, he was often called mausam vigyanik, as he had often switched sides to be with the winning side. After he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1989, Paswan became the labour minister in V.P. Singh government. He held the post for one year. His next big chance was during the Deve Gowda, and then I.K. Gujaral governments when he became the railways minister in 1996 for two years, a coveted post for a Hindi heartland politician.
When Atal Bihar Vajpayee formed the first NDA government, Paswan was again part of it. He held the portfolios of communications and then mines. He resigned from the government in 2002. When the UPA government was formed in 2004, Paswan was part of it as chemicals and fertiliser minister. Paswan was back in the reckoning when he became part of the Narendra Modi government as consumer affairs minister in 2014, a post he held till his death.
He served as minister with six prime ministers, a rare feat, which also signified his politics and personality. He was at ease with leaders of various political hues, rarely evoking strong reactions for siding with the winning side. The senior-most of all dalit leaders at the national level, Paswan told his community that the way to empowerment was through political power.
In his four decades of presence at the national stage, Paswan had not only watched but actively participated in the difficult years of coalition politics, and how the country passed through various tumultuous events.
After staying part of the Janata Party, Paswan had decided to chart his own course as he floated the LJP in 2000. The party's best performance came in the 2005 Bihar elections when it fought along with the Congress. It won 29 seats. As no party had secured a majority, Paswan refused to side with Lalu Prasad Yadav’s RJD or the BJP, thus provoking a re-election. The LJP fared badly as it could win only 10 seats then. Nitish Kumar became the chief minister in 2005. Paswan fared well in the Lok Sabha polls in 2014 when he allied with the NDA as Modi was the PM candidate. During the 2015 Assembly elections, the LJP could win only two seats.
By going solo for the coming elections, the LJP was hoping to recover the lost ground, especially to establish Chirag Paswan as a young leader in the state, as old socialists fade away. Ram Vilas Paswan will not be there to witness how the bold move his party has taken will turn out for his son. Or did he, through his deft political sense, plot a move that will provide a secure future for Chirag in the NDA?
