Paying tributes to Dalit leader and Lok Janshakti Party founder Ram Vilas Paswan on his birth anniversary, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that his contributions to public service and empowering the downtrodden will always be remembered.

A minister in the Modi government, Paswan died in October last year. He was among the most experienced parliamentarians and had served as a minister in governments led by different parties, ranging from socialist groups to the Congress and the BJP.

In a tweet Modi said, "Today is the birth anniversary of my friend, late Ram Vilas Paswan Ji. I miss his presence greatly. He was one of India's most experienced Parliamentarians and administrators. His contributions to public service and empowering the downtrodden will always be remembered."

Paswan's death has led to factional fight within his party with both his son Chirag Paswan and his brother Pashupati Kumar Paras claiming to be representing the LJP.

Chirag is scheduled to launch a yatra from Hajipur, his father's traditional Lok Sabha seat, to rally the party's supporters around his cause.