Prime Minister Narendra Modi has penned a touching letter on the first death anniversary of Ram Vilas Paswan, his former cabinet colleague and a powerful Dalit leader from Bihar.
Posting the letter on Twitter, Chirag Paswan, Ram Vilas Paswan’s son, thanked the Prime Minister for his affection towards the late leader.
“Sir, you have honored the work done by him for the society by putting the summary of the whole life of my father in your own words and have shown your affection towards him,” tweeted the MP from Jamui.
Ram Vilas Paswan — minister in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet and the founder of the Lok Janshakti Party — died on October 8 last year. Chirag Paswan is going by a traditional calendar to hold the first death anniversary of his father on September 12.
The Prime Minister, in his letter, said it is an emotional day for him. “I miss him (Ram Vilas Paswan) as a friend. I also sense the loss that Indian politics has suffered because of his death,” wrote PM Modi.
The Prime Minister further hailed Ram Vilas Paswan as a champion of the poor and Dalits.
“Those looking to serve the nation via the political route must take lessons from the life of Ram Vilas Paswan. Even after reaching the top, he was always available and cordial with his fellow party workers. He believed in dialogue and cordiality. This is the reason he had such good relations with political leaders across the board,” he added.
Ahead of the event, Chirag Paswan said he had invited top national leaders, including PM Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and Congress president Sonia Gandhi, for the Patna event.
The event assumes heightened political significance at a time when Chirag Paswan is embroiled in an acrimonious dispute with his uncle and Union Minister Pashupati Kumar Paras to claim the legacy of his father. Mr Paras has said he will attend the event and was glad that his nephew visited his residence to invite him .
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has also received an invite.