Ram Sevak Hazari

Patna, Oct. 27: Veteran socialist leader and JD(U) MLA from Kalyanpur, Ram Sevak Hazari (75), died of cardiac arrest at a private hospital in New Delhi around 1am today.

He is survived by his wife, Swarni Devi, four sons, including Maheshwar Hazari, MP from Samastipur, besides several grandchildren.

Though Hazari belonged to a Dalit but influential political family of north Bihar’s Mithila region, he led a spartan life and loved to work at the grassroots level for over four decades of his political career. He hit the portals of the state Assembly for the first time in 1967 as Sanyukta Socialist Party nominee from Warisnagar and went on to represent his electorate for six terms in the Assembly and one term in the Lok Sabha.

Though initiated into politics by his communist uncle Ram Jatan Paswan, Hazari became an ardent follower of Ram Manohar Lohia and Karpoori Thakur and remained a socialist throughout his life.

True to his style of work among villagers, Hazari was busy soliciting people’s support for the JD(U)’s Adhikar Rally scheduled on November 4. His son, Maheshwar Hazari, said: “My father encountered chest congestion and suffocation while moving out among the people on October 21 and was taken to Indira Gandhi Institute of Cardiology in Patna. On October 24, he was airlifted to New Delhi.”

In his condolence message, chief minister Nitish Kumar said: “Hazari was a great socialist icon who stayed committed to the socialist movement throughout his life.” He also paid floral tribute when the leader’s body was brought to Patna on way to Mojari village in Samastipur.