Srinagar, Nov 1 (PTI) Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah on Friday expressed grief over the demise of BJP MLA and his one-time close confidante Devender Singh Rana on Diwali night, sharing pictures of “fun times” they spent together.
His father and National Conference president Farooq Abdullah remembered Rana as a kind person who had a good connect with people.
“We had a great relationship with him, and basically with his father before. Omar liked him a lot. He (Rana) held a big position in our party in Jammu and had made the party stronger,” he said while paying tributes to the senior BJP leader.
“In 2021, he had to leave our party for unknown reasons. He did not say anything against us. Good deeds are never forgotten. When someone leaves this world, only his good deeds should be remembered and everything else forgotten,” he said.
Taking to X, Omar Abdullah said, “The terrible news from late last night isn’t really sinking in. I know the last few years have been marked by our differences, Devender but I prefer to focus on the fun times we shared together, the excellent work we did together and the memories.” “You have been taken from us all too soon and will be missed. May your soul rest in peace now DSR. My heart goes out to your family as I struggle to find the words to convey my condolences to them,” he added.
The chief minister also shared his pictures with Rana taken in 2009.
He travelled from Srinagar to Jammu on Friday to bid farewell to Rana and conveyed his condolences to the bereaved family.
Rana, the BJP MLA from Nagrota and brother of Union minister Jitendra Singh, died on Thursday at a private hospital in Haryana’s Faridabad. He was 59.
He is survived by his wife, Gunjan Rana, their daughters Devyani and Ketki, and son Adhiraj Singh.
“We all are very sad, my whole family, my son is very sad, he was close to him. I pray God gives strength to his family to bear this loss,” Farooq Abdullah said while speaking to reporters on Rana’s passing. PTI SSB RPA
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