Paswan turns 72; receives greetings from Prez, PM

Patna: Union Minister and Lok Janshakti Party chief Ram Vilas Paswan on Thursday turned 72 and cut a cake of as many weight in pound at party's state headquarters here on the occasion.

After cutting the cake, Paswan said that he has struggled all through his life to install poor people's rule.

"I struggled all through my life for poor people, dalits, OBCs, minorities, poor people among upper castes. I will continue to fight for them. I am striving hard to install poor people's rule," Paswan told reporters here. Paswan was accompanied by his son and MP Chirag Paswan, brothers-- Pashupati Kumar Paras and Ramchandra Paswan--besides a host of party leaders and workers on the occasion.

A host of dignitaries including President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Narendra Modi, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Haryana CM Manohar Lal Khattar, Puducherry V Narayanasamy, Union Ministers Arun Jaitley, Rajnath Singh and other cabinet colleagues extended him birthday greetings, Paswan said. Bihar CM Nitish Kumar and his Deputy Sushil Kumar Modi also extended birthday greetings to Paswan and wished him a healthy long life, a government release said adding that the CM called Paswan on his phone to wish him.

Paswan, who is Minister for Consumer Affairs, Food and Public Distribution in Narendra Modi government, said that the NDA govenrment has fulfilled its promise to give cost plus 50 per cent as MSP to the farmers and said that "we will make the farmers' income double by 2022." Making an appeal to the farmers of Bihar and the country, Paswan said that farmers should think about the government which thinks and works in the interest of farmers.