Patna, Sep 21: Bihar’s first Dalit chief minister and veteran Congress leader Bhola Paswan Shastri was remembered on his birth anniversary on Monday, with leaders across political parties paying tribute to his contribution to the state’s social and political life.
Chief Minister Samrat Choudhary paid floral tribute to Shastri at Shri Krishna Memorial Hall in Patna. Deputy Chief Minister Vijay Kumar Chaudhary, other members of the state cabinet and senior officials were also present.
A separate programme was organised at the Bihar Congress headquarters, where AICC SC Department in-charge Rajendra Pal Gautam paid homage to the former chief minister.
Gautam highlighted Shastri’s contributions as a Congress leader, Union minister and Leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha. He also recalled Shastri’s association with the Mungeri Lal Commission, which recommended quotas for numerically strong backward classes.
Shastri served as Bihar chief minister three times during the 1970s and remains an important figure in the state’s political history.
Bihar Congress SC Department chief Ravindra Paswan had demanded that Shastri be conferred the Bharat Ratna. He also sought a museum in his name and installation of his statues at a prominent location.
The JD(U) also observed Shastri’s birth anniversary at its state headquarters. Bihar JD(U) president Umesh Singh Kushwaha said former chief minister Nitish Kumar had worked for the uplift of Dalits while drawing inspiration from Shastri’s ideals.
The programmes highlighted Shastri’s political legacy and his contribution to the social and political discourse in Bihar.
