Chirag Paswan passed out after lighting the funeral pyre.
Patna:
The burden of grief, at what could be the most critical time in his political career, proved too heavy for party chairman Lok Janshakti, Chirag Paswan, who fell unconscious after lighting his father’s funeral pyre on Saturday Ram Vilas Paswan in Patna.
The 37-year-old lawmaker has been in mourning since his father last breathed in a Delhi hospital on Thursday.
Mr Chirag, known to be a devoted son who even played the barber for his father during the nationwide lockdown, raised a banner of revolt against Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumars JD (U), announcing the astonishing decision of going solo in the congregation polls, while spending most of his time beside Mr. Paswan senior’s hospital bed.
He cried when Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited their Delhi residence to pay him his final respect.
Mr Chirag cried inconsolably on Saturday morning when BJP MP and former minister Ram Kripal Yadav, who has known Mr Chirag since he was a child, visited their home in Patna.
Mr. Yadav was also moved to tears and the two stood for a while, holding each other firmly.
At the Digha ghat on the bank of the Ganges, Mr. Chirag passed out after lighting the funeral pyre, but was saved from crashing to the ground by his cousins who were by his side, helping him perform the rituals.
“He’s out of danger. The mental stress associated with dehydration from standing for hours in hot, humid weather may have taken its toll,” a source close to the family said.
After the cremation, Union Minister and top BJP leader Giriraj Singh told reporters: “Paswan’s death marks the end of an era. He must have been the last surviving political leader with decades parliamentary experience. Its popularity can be measured by the fact that all the central ministers of Bihar are present here. I can also see representatives of various political parties. “
“He is one of the few luminaries who staunchly defended the Mandal Commission when its recommendations were implemented by the VP Singh government, and fended off critics when Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s well-intentioned quota for economically more sections weak was opposed, ”Singh said.
“We are all with the bereaved family at this hour of mourning,” he added.
Onlookers noticed that it took an “ajaat shatru” (one without enemies) like Ram Vilas Paswan to evoke such tenderness from a person known for his acerbity, this too at a time when his party was not not satisfied with the political line taken by the successor – Chirag.
(This story was not edited by GalacticGaming staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
