Padama Bhushan Shri Ramvilas Paswan
Among the distinguished politicians of the country, the late Padma Bhushan Ramvilas Paswan’s birthday is celebrated in many parts of the country every year on 5th July. He was born in the village of Shaharbanni in Khagaria district of Bihar to Shri Jamun Paswan and Shrimati Shanti Devi in the year 1946. On the occasion of his birthday, not only Lok Jan Shakti Party (Ramvilas) workers but also numerous others pay tribute to his contributions, personality, and social upliftment for the welfare of the people, which has benefitted them in various ways for decades.
Whether it’s the availability of affordable medicines in shops, the provision of free grains, the initiation of low-cost mobile calls, the establishment of the Hajipur railway zone, the conversion of all small and meter-gauge railway lines in North Bihar into broad gauge, or the 26% reservation provided to the marginalized in jobs, Ramvilas Paswan’s social contributions will always be remembered. Besides these, he has undertaken many more hundreds of works that have directly and indirectly benefited the common citizens of India.
Having served in politics for fifty years, Ramvilas Paswan’s stature can be gauged from the fact that he got the opportunity to work with six Prime Ministers of the country – V.P. Singh, H.D. Deve Gowda, I.K. Gujral, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, Dr. Manmohan Singh, and Narendra Modi. During this time, he held the portfolio of a dozen central ministries. He continued to serve as a minister until his last days, even during the COVID-19 lockdown, where he took charge of the distribution of grains to people in need.
Ram Vilas Paswan, who held global recognition in Bihar as well as nationally and internationally, also holds a Guinness World Record that no other leader has been able to break. The record is for winning the most number of Lok Sabha elections through democratic mandates. He achieved this feat in the 1977 Lok Sabha elections, soon after the Emergency. He won the Hajipur seat with a record margin of four lakh votes. Since then, Ram Vilas Paswan and Hajipur became synonymous with each other. The people of Hajipur continuously sent him to the Lok Sabha, and he became deeply embedded in their hearts. In the public gatherings of Hajipur, people often used to say, “Hajipur’s land is like my mother’s.” He remained devoted to Hajipur for his entire life and worked tirelessly for the city, earning him numerous accolades. He played a significant role in establishing new railway zones and national-level institutions in Hajipur. The credit for these developments goes to Ram Vilas Paswan alone.
Political Career
Ram Vilas Paswan’s political journey began in 1969. He often spoke about the start of his political career, which was not without some astonishment. He mentioned that in 1969, he got selected in both the police department and the state assembly simultaneously. At that time, a friend asked him whether he wanted to become a part of the government or be a servant. In response, Ram Vilas Paswan chose politics!
By that time, he had already obtained degrees in Law and Master of Arts from Koshi College, Pilkhi, and Patna University. During those days, he became a member of the United Socialist Party and was elected to the Bihar Legislative Assembly in 1969. Later, in 1974, after the formation of the Janata Party, he joined it and became the General Secretary. He remained close to prominent leaders during the Emergency like Raj Narain, Karpoori Thakur, and Satyendra Narayan Sinha. He distanced himself from Morarji Desai and joined Loknayak Raj Narain’s Janata Party-S faction, serving as its President and later as its Chairman. During the 1975 Emergency in India, he was arrested and spent his time in jail. After being released in 1977, he became a member of the Janata Party and won his first election to the Parliament on its ticket. He set a Guinness World Record for winning the most elections by the highest margin. In 1977, he contested from the Hajipur constituency during the Lok Sabha elections and entered the Parliament as a member of the Janata Party.
He continued to be elected to the Lok Sabha from Hajipur in 1980, 1989, 1996, 1998, 1999, 2004, and 2014. He also served as a member of the Rajya Sabha twice in 1980 and 1984, representing Hajipur. In 1983, he founded a Dalit Sena organization for Dalit emancipation and welfare.
In 1989, during the 9th Lok Sabha elections, he joined the cabinet of Prime Minister V.P. Singh as the Minister of Labour and Welfare. In 1996, as a member of the ruling coalition in the Lok Sabha, he became the leader of the United Front due to his position as the leader of the Rajya Sabha. During that time, he served as the Railway Minister. He continued in that role until 1998. Later, from October 1999 to September 2001, he served as the Minister of Communications.
His most significant achievement in his political career came in 1989 when he joined the cabinet for the first time after the victory. At that time, he was appointed as the Minister of Labour. Within a decade, he served as the Railway Minister under the H.D. Deve Gowda and I.K. Gujral governments. In the 1990s, he aligned with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA). He became the Minister of Communications. Later, in the government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, he became the Minister of Coal.
After Babu Jagjivan Ram, he emerged as a prominent leader in Bihar as a Dalit leader, but he achieved widespread popularity through his actions. To make his mark, he founded his Lok Janashakti Party (LJP). In 2002, after the Gujarat riots, he parted ways with the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) and moved towards Congress. Shortly after the Congress-led coalition came to power, he was appointed as the Minister of Steel, Chemicals, and Fertilizers.
In 2000, he formed the Lok Janashakti Party (LJP). After that, in 2004, he became part of the ruling United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government. In that year, the LJP had won four seats in the Lok Sabha elections. However, in the 2009 elections, the LJP faced disappointment, and Ram Vilas Paswan also failed to win. However, a few months later, in 2010, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha. After that, he was once again elected from the Hajipur constituency in the 2014 Indian General Elections for the 16th Lok Sabha.
Major Achievements
- As the Minister of Communications, facilitated the distribution of mobile phones to households across the country.
- Ensured the availability of essential commodities through the Public Distribution System using ration cards for the common Indian citizens.
- Installed a portrait of the architect of the Indian Constitution, Dr. B.R. Ambedkar, in the Parliament building.
- Declared Dr. B.R. Ambedkar as a recipient of the Bharat Ratna, India’s highest civilian award, and announced a national holiday on his birth anniversary (April 14) to commemorate his contributions.
- Advocated and represented the voices of the poor, marginalized, oppressed, and Dalit communities both inside the Parliament and beyond, from the streets to the highest legislative institution.
Major Development Work – Hajipur
- Establishment of East Central Railway Zonal Office
- Establishment of CIPET.
- Establishment of NIPER.
- Establishment of Hotel Management.
- Establishment of ‘Telecom District Office’.
- Establishment of regional office of Indian Postal Department.
- Establishment of regional office of Food Corporation of India.
- Establishment of Sugauli – Vaishali – Lalganj Hajipur railway line
- Establishment of Desari Sahwei Barauni broad gauge.
- Establishment of Kendriya Vidyalaya.
- Employment to thousands of youths of Hajipur
