Ram Vilas Paswan facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Ram Vilas Paswan
|
|
|---|---|
 |
|
| Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution | |
| In office 26 May 2014 – 8 October 2020 |
|
| Prime Minister | Narendra Modi |
| Preceded by | Sharad Pawar |
| Succeeded by | Piyush Goyal |
| Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha | |
| In office 28 June 2019 – 8 October 2020 |
|
| Preceded by | Ravi Shankar Prasad |
| Succeeded by | Sushil Kumar Modi |
| Constituency | Bihar |
| In office July 2010 – 2014 |
|
| Constituency | Bihar |
| Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers | |
| In office 23 May 2004 – 22 May 2009 |
|
| Prime Minister | Manmohan Singh |
| Preceded by | Sunder Lal Patwa |
| Succeeded by | M. K. Alagiri |
| Minister of Mines | |
| In office 1 September 2001 – 29 April 2002 |
|
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | Sunder Lal Patwa |
| Succeeded by | Uma Bharti |
| Minister of Communications and Information Technology | |
| In office 13 October 1999 – 1 September 2001 |
|
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Succeeded by | Pramod Mahajan |
| Leader of House in Lok Sabha | |
| In office 4 June 1996 – 4 December 1997 |
|
| Prime Minister | H.D. Deve Gowda I.K. Gujral |
| Preceded by | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Succeeded by | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Minister of Railways | |
| In office 1 June 1996 – 19 March 1998 |
|
| Prime Minister | H. D. Deve Gowda I. K. Gujral |
| Preceded by | C. K. Jaffer Sheriff |
| Succeeded by | Nitish Kumar |
| Minister of Labour and Welfare | |
| In office 5 December 1989 – 10 November 1990 |
|
| Prime Minister | Vishwanath Pratap Singh |
| Preceded by | Bindeshwari Dubey |
| Succeeded by | K. Chandrasekhar Rao |
| Member of Parliament, Lok Sabha | |
| In office 2014–2019 |
|
| Preceded by | Ram Sundar Das |
| Succeeded by | Pashupati Kumar Paras |
| Constituency | Hajipur |
| In office 1996–2009 |
|
| Preceded by | Ram Sundar Das |
| Succeeded by | Ram Sundar Das |
| Constituency | Hajipur |
| In office 1991–1996 |
|
| Preceded by | Dasai Chowdhary |
| Succeeded by | Pitambar Paswan |
| Constituency | Rosera |
| In office 1989–1991 |
|
| Preceded by | Ram Ratan Ram |
| Succeeded by | Ram Sundar Das |
| Constituency | Hajipur |
| In office 1977–1984 |
|
| Preceded by | Ramshekhar Prasad Singh |
| Succeeded by | Ram Ratan Ram |
| Constituency | Hajipur |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 5 July 1946 Khagaria, Bihar, British India |
| Died | 8 October 2020 (aged 74) New Delhi, India |
| Political party | Lok Janshakti Party |
| Other political affiliations |
Janata Dal, Janata Party |
| Spouses |
Rajkumari Devi
(m. 1969; div. 1981)Reena Sharma
(m. 1982–2020) |
| Children | 4; including Chirag Kumar Paswan |
| Residences | Khagaria, Bihar, India |
| Alma mater | Patna University (M.A, LLB) |
| Awards | Padma Bhushan (2021) (posthumously) |
|
As of 30 May, 2019
Source: [1] |
|
Ram Vilas Paswan (born 5 July 1946 – died 8 October 2020) was an important Indian politician from the state of Bihar. He served as a Cabinet Minister in the Indian government, holding various important jobs. He was the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the governments led by Narendra Modi.
Paswan was also the leader of the Lok Janshakti Party. He was elected to the Lok Sabha (one of India's main parliamentary houses) nine times and was a member of the Rajya Sabha (the other main house) twice. He started his political journey in 1969 and became a well-known figure in Indian politics. He was honored with India's third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan, after his death in 2021. People often called him the "weatherman of Indian politics" because he was very good at understanding political changes.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Ram Vilas Paswan was born on 5 July 1946, in a village called Shaharbanni in the Khagaria district of Bihar. His parents were Jamun Paswan and Siya Devi.
He studied at Kosi College, Khagaria, and Patna University. He earned two degrees: a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) and a Master of Arts (M.A.). Before joining politics, he was even selected to be a police officer (DSP) in Bihar in 1969.
Ram Vilas Paswan's Political Journey
Paswan began his political career in 1969. He was elected to the Bihar state assembly as a member of the Samyukta Socialist Party. This was for a special area called Alauli.
In 1974, he became a key leader in the Lok Dal party. He was a close supporter of important leaders like Raj Narain and Jayaprakash Narayan.
During the Emergency Period
In 1975, a tough period called the Indian Emergency was declared in India. During this time, Paswan was arrested and stayed in jail.
When he was released in 1977, he joined the Janata Party. He won his first election to the Parliament from the Hajipur area. He won by a very large number of votes, which was a record at that time.
Forming the Lok Janshakti Party
In 1983, Paswan created an organization called the Dalit Sena. This group worked for the rights and well-being of Dalit people. Later, his brother, Ram Chandra Paswan, led this group.
Paswan was elected to the Lok Sabha many times from Hajipur. In 2000, he decided to start his own political party, the Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). He became its president.
Serving as a Union Minister
Ram Vilas Paswan held many important positions as a Union Minister in the Indian government. A Union Minister is a senior member of the government who is in charge of a specific department or ministry.
- From 1989 to 1990, he was the Union Minister of Labour and Welfare.
- From 1996 to 1998, he served as the Union Railway Minister. This meant he was in charge of India's large railway system.
- From 1999 to 2001, he was the Union Communications Minister.
- From 22 May 2004 to 22 May 2009, he was the Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers and also the Minister of Steel.
- From 2014 until his death in 2020, he was the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution.
He was known for being a minister under seven different Prime Ministers. This shows how experienced and important he was in Indian politics.
Later Elections and Alliances
In the 2005 Bihar state elections, Paswan's party did not win enough seats to form a government on its own. He refused to support other major parties, which led to new elections.
For the 2009 Indian general election, Paswan formed an alliance with Lalu Prasad Yadav's party. However, Paswan lost his election from Hajipur for the first time in 33 years. His party also did not win any seats in the Lok Sabha that year.
In the 2014 Indian general election, Paswan's party joined forces with the BJP. He won back his seat from Hajipur. His son, Chirag Paswan, also won a seat in the Lok Sabha.
In 2019, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha. He continued to serve as the Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in the government.
Personal Life
Ram Vilas Paswan married Rajkumari Devi in the 1960s. They later divorced in 1981. He had two daughters from his first marriage, Usha and Asha. In 1982, he married Reena Sharma. They had a son, Chirag Kumar Paswan, and a daughter. Chirag Kumar Paswan is now also a politician.
Ram Vilas Paswan also helped his brothers, Pashupati Kumar Paras and Ram Chandra Paswan, get involved in politics. In the 2019 elections, three of the six seats won by his party were by members of his family.
Death
Ram Vilas Paswan passed away on 8 October 2020. His son, Chirag Paswan, shared the news. Paswan had been in the hospital for several weeks and had undergone heart surgery before his death. He was cremated in Patna, Bihar, on 10 October 2020.
See also
- List of politicians from Bihar
