PATNA: An inconsolably weeping woman was repeatedly trying to reach near the funeral pyre of
LJP founder Ram Vilas Paswan
soon after his son Chirag lit it at Janardan Ghat in Digha on Saturday. She was trying to touch it and bow to her beloved leader for the last time but pushed by the crowd every time.
She finally got the chance to do so as the crowd dispersed for a while. She stood still for several seconds just a few feet away from the pyre and kept staring at it.
The woman later identified herself as Malti Devi from
Paswan Chowk
at Hajipur in Vaishali district.
When asked, Malti said she always voted for the Paswan from Hajipur. “I had met him several times at Hajipur. He always welcomed and met us very humbly. We have even visited his Khagaria residence on multiple occasions,” she claimed.
While wiping her tears, Malti said: “Ram janam liye the hamare liye … Koi nahi milega fir AISA … (He (Paswan) was born as Lord Rama for us … We will never get anyone like him again…)”.
The woman said no food had been cooked at her and several other houses in Hajipur since the news about Paswan’s death broke out. “We are still empty stomach,” Malti said and broke down.
The woman said she along with her relatives and several people reached Patna from Paswan Chowk by bus. “We reached at 6am,” she said.
Malti was not alone to reach the ghat from outside Patna. A large number of Paswan’s supporters, male and female and from different age groups, had reached from Nalanda, Samastipur, Muzaffarpur, Jehanabad, Saran Khagaria and several other districts to get the last glimpse of their leader.
Mahesh Paswan from Bali under Chandi police station area in Nalanda claimed that he reached the ghat by a bus. “I have always voted for him. He was our country’s leader,” he said.
Akansha, a student preparing for competitive examinations, reached there alone from Hajipur to attend Paswan’s cremation. “He was a father figure for Hajipur. We want that he be given respect like BR Ambedkar,” she said.
Pintu Paswan
, who had reached from Kharika in Sonepur, said he was the Dalits’ honour. “He was the leader of every caste and sect. I had never seen him angry,” he added.
Vinod Paswan from Aira village in Shakurabad block of Jehanabad district said he was their community leader. “We had always voted for him. We had to come here at any cost,” he said.