Union Food Processing Minister Chirag Paswan on Sunday, 5 July 2026, publicly thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for paying tribute to the late Ram Vilas Paswan on his birth anniversary, calling the Prime Minister's words a source of inspiration for all followers of the LJP founder.

Posting in Hindi on X, Chirag wrote: 'पार्टी के संस्थापक, मेरे नेता, मेरे पिता, पद्म भूषण श्रद्धेय रामविलास पासवान जी की जयंती पर उन्हें श्रद्धांजलि अर्पित करने हेतु आपका हार्दिक आभार, आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री जी।' — 'Honourable Prime Minister, I am deeply grateful to you for paying tribute to our party founder, my leader, my father, Padma Bhushan Ram Vilas Paswan ji, on his birth anniversary. Your respectful words are a source of inspiration for all of us.'

Context

The post was made on the birth anniversary of Ram Vilas Paswan, the veteran Dalit leader who founded the Lok Janshakti Party in 2000 and served in Union Cabinets across multiple governments spanning several decades. Paswan, who was awarded the Padma Bhushan, passed away in October 2020, leaving behind a political legacy deeply rooted in social justice, equality, and Dalit representation. Prime Minister Modi's public tribute on the occasion prompted Chirag's response.

Chirag Paswan, who succeeded his father as national president of the Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas), described Ram Vilas Paswan as 'the party's founder, my leader, my father' — underscoring both the familial and political weight of the occasion. He added that the ideals of 'social justice, service, and equality' championed by his father 'will always guide us.'

Policy Backdrop

Ram Vilas Paswan served as Union Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution from 2014 to 2020, and earlier held the Food Processing Industries portfolio — the same ministry now headed by his son. He was a consistent advocate for Dalit and backward-caste representation in national politics, and his party has been a constituent of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) across successive governments.

The LJP was founded specifically to consolidate Dalit political voice in Bihar and at the Centre. Ram Vilas Paswan's ability to win ministerial berths under governments of differing ideological orientations made him one of India's most enduring coalition figures. That legacy now underpins the LJP (Ram Vilas) faction's continued presence within the NDA.

Stakeholders and Impact

The exchange of tributes between the Prime Minister and Chirag Paswan carries significance for LJP (Ram Vilas) workers, the Dalit electorate, and the broader coalition calculus in Bihar. In Indian political culture, public acknowledgements by senior leaders on birth or death anniversaries of allied party founders serve as visible signals of solidarity and continuity within coalition arrangements.

For Dalit communities and LJP cadres, the Prime Minister's tribute reaffirms the symbolic standing of Ram Vilas Paswan's memory within the NDA's ideological tent. Chirag's public expression of gratitude, in turn, reinforces his own positioning as the custodian of that legacy heading into future electoral cycles.

What's Next

The LJP (Ram Vilas) is expected to organise formal commemoration events around 5 July each year to mark Ram Vilas Paswan's birth anniversary. As Bihar watches its political landscape ahead of the next state assembly elections, such gestures of NDA solidarity — especially those that centre the Dalit social-justice narrative — are likely to carry increasing electoral weight. Chirag Paswan's dual role as a Union Minister and party president positions him as the primary steward of that inheritance.