Ram Vilas Paswan: From Modi baiter to Modi ministry

Posted on 27th May 2014 10:35 pm by admin

Patna, May 26 (IANS) A dozen years after he attacked then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi over the 2002 riots and quit the NDA, LJP chief Ram Vilas Paswan Monday joined the cabinet in a Modi-led central government.<br /><br />A Dalit leader, Paswan and RJD chief Lalu Prasad were widely seen as potential Congress allies in the Lok Sabha election. But in February he surprised everyone by aligning with the BJP to contest Lok Sabha polls.<br /><br />Political activist Ashok Kumar Singh, who has known Paswan for four decades, said there was a time when Paswan was attracted to Maoism but he never embraced it.<br /><br />After his graduation and before he completed his law degree, Paswan was all set to become a policeman but did not take up the job. He instead contested the 1969 Bihar assembly polls as the now defunct SSP candidate and won.<br /><br />Paswan won the Lok Sabha polls from Hajipur in 1977 with a margin of 4.24 lakh votes - a record broken only by P.V. Narasimha Rao in 1991.<br /><br />Becaming a union minister for the first time in 1989 in the V.P. Singh government, Paswan emerged as one of the most vocal supporters of the Mandal Commission recommendations.<br /><br />He served as a minister in the United Front governments of H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral. Paswan was also a minister in the NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and the UPA-I government of Manmohan Singh.<br /><br />Paswan was defeated in the 2009 Lok Sabha polls but was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2011 with the RJD's support.<br /><br />In 2014, he won from his traditional Hajipur seat, thanks to the Modi wave.<br /><br />His first wife Raj Kumari Devi lives in his native village Shaharbanni in Khagaria district. He later married again. His actor-turned-politician son Chirag Paswan also won the Lok Sabha polls -- from Jamui.<br /><br />One of Paswan's brothers is an MP while another is a former legislator in Bihar.

Other news

The Kerala Story: Shabana Azmi supports 'The Kerala Story', lashes out at those demanding a ban

The Kerala Story: Controversy has reached its peak across the country regarding 'The Kerala Story

Preity Zinta files a complaint of abuse and molestation against Ness Wadia

Actress, Preity Zinta has lodged an FIR against Ness Wadia for molesting and abusing her publicly

Kerala vows not to spare any drug traffickers

Thiruvananthapuram, Feb 1 (IANS) The Kerala government Sunday said national and international d

Hardik won the first T20 on his own: Sometimes MI left became IPL champion on return; Now the next Indian captain being seen in him

It is said that there cannot be only one medicine for every merge, but after the last World Cup,

Shock to Adani-Ambani: Net worth of both came below $100 billion, know where did they reach the list of billionaires?

Indian industrialists Gautam Adani and Mukesh Ambani, who have made their presence felt in the li

Telangana Swine Flu cases mount, KCR briefs PM

Hyderabad, Jan 21 (IANS) With more swine flu cases being reported in Telangana, Chief Minister

Gangster killed in Punjab Police custody, Officials Shifted

Chandigarh, Jan 22 (IANS) The day-light gunning down of a notorious gangster by a rival gang wh

Light rain likely in Delhi

New Delhi, Feb 24 (IANS) It will be a partly cloudy Tuesday here with the possibility of light

Onion Rates: Angry farmers stopped selling due to low prices in Asia's largest onion market, demanded this from the government

Frustrated with the continuous falling prices of onions, the farmers have stopped the sale of oni

Ayodhya Ram Mandir: Dhirendra Shastri of Bageshwar said Ram is for everyone, said this big thing on temple and casteism

Well-known storyteller Pandit Dhirendra Shastri is also going to the consecration ceremony of the