Gurugram: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav breathed his last Monday after a prolonged spell of illness, his son and party chief Akhilesh Yadav said in a statement.
Mulayam Singh Yadav was 82 and under treatment at Gurugram’s Medanta hospital since last week.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid rich tributes to the late leader, calling him a remarkable personality who was widely admired as a grounded leader.
“He served people diligently, and devoted his life towards popularising the ideals of Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia,” Modi said, adding, “Yadav distinguished himself in Uttar Pradesh and national politics. He was a key soldier for democracy during the Emergency.”
Modi also said Yadav worked for a “stronger India” as defence minister and that his parliamentary interventions were useful.
The leader’s son, Akhilesh Yadav’s office has said the last rights would be held in Saifai, the family’s ancestral village in Uttar Pradesh.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the veteran politician would be cremated with full state honours. The government has also announced a three-day state mourning.
Rajnath Singh will also go to Saifai tomorrow to attend the last rites of Mulayam Singh Yadav.
While Union Home Minister Amit Shah visited Gurugram’s Medanta hospital to pay tribute to the departed leader, President Droupadi Murmu called Singh’s death an “irreparable loss” to the country. “The achievements of Mulyam Singh Yadav Ji, who came from an ordinary environment, were extraordinary. ‘Dharti Putra’ Mulayam Ji was a down-to-earth veteran leader. He was respected by people of all parties. My deepest condolences to his family members and supporters,” the Rashtrapati Bhavan tweeted.
“His death is the end of a political era,” said Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. The other state deputy CM Brajesh Pathak said it would be difficult to fill Singh’s void in Indian politics.
National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah called Mulayam Singh Yadav a “people’s leader”. “He devoted all his life to the welfare of the poor. He respected all religions and fought for all religions. There’s no person in India who would not grieve on this day.”
Mulayam Singh Yadav was born on 22 November, 1939 in the Saifai village of Etawah district. He was thrice chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and also served once as defence minister in the central government. He was elected an MLA for 10 times — starting in 1967 at the age of 28 — and was Lok Sabha Member of Parliament for seven terms.
Condoling his death, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said: “He was a grassroots leader who played a prominent role in the politics of Uttar Pradesh for many decades. In his long public life, he worked in multiple positions and contributed to the development of the country, society and state.” Singh lauded the late leader’s “open mind” and ability to maintain cordial relations with all irrespective of political rivalry.
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