Patna (Bihar) [India], October 10 (ANI): Former Bihar Chief Minister and RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav on Monday condoled the demise of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav, remembering him as a stalwart of the socialist movement. “I am saddened by the news of the demise of Samajwadi patron respected Mulayam Singh ji. His contribution was incomparable in the politics of the country,” Lalu said in a tweet.

Remembering Yadav as a politician who brought the underprivileged to the front line, Lalu said his memories would stay forever. Later, talking to reporters, he said, “Mulayam Singh Yadav had an important contribution to taking forward the socialist movement.” “Pray to God to give place to the departed soul at his feet. Humble tributes,” Lalu added.

On Wednesday, the RJD chief had gone to meet Mulayam Singh at the hospital in Gurugram. The veteran Samajwadi Party leader passed away while undergoing treatment at the Medanta Hospital aged 82 due to prolonged illness. His condition was critical for the past few weeks and he was on life-saving drugs.

Mulayam Singh’s son Akhilesh Yadav confirmed his death on Twitter. “Mere adarniya pitaji aur sabke netaji nahi rahe – Akhilesh Yadav (My honourable father and everyone’s Netaji is no more),” he tweeted from the party’s official handle. Leaders from across the country have expressed their grief.

Recollecting his relationship with Mulayam Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted several photographs in which the two leaders could be seen together.

“Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji was a remarkable personality. He was widely admired as a humble and grounded leader who was sensitive to people’s problems. He served people diligently and devoted his life towards popularising the ideals of Loknayak JP (Jayaprakash Narayan) and Dr Lohia (Ram Manohar Lohia),” PM Modi said.

“I had many interactions with Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji when we served as Chief Ministers of our respective states. The close association continued and I always looked forward to hearing his views. His demise pains me. Condolences to his family and lakhs of supporters. Om Shanti,” he added.

Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari remembered Mulayam Singh as a stalwart in UP politics.
“Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav was a stalwart in the politics of the nation, and especially in that of Uttar Pradesh. He had a strong grip over politics because of his wider public relations and organizational skills. A good parliamentarian, Mulayam Singh created his own mark as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and as Defence Minister of the country. I had the privilege of knowing Mulayam Singh ji intimately even before I became a member of the UP Legislative Council,” Koshyari said.

Koshyari said with Mulayam Singh’s death, a major chapter in UP politics has come to an end. “I pay my homage to the departed leader and convey my deepest condolences to Shri Akhilesh Yadav and other members of the bereaved family,” he added.

Emerging as a socialist leader, Mulayam Singh soon established himself as an OBC stalwart, capturing a swathe of political space vacated by the Congress. He took oath as UP’s 15th CM in 1989, which marked the year when the Congress was voted out, failing to return to power in the state ever since. (ANI)

Bihar: Nitish Kumar, Tejashwi Yadav express grief over Mulayam Singh Yadav’s death

Patna (Bihar) [India], October 10 (ANI): Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed condolences on the death of Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav on Monday and said that the latter’s death is an irreparable loss to the nation. “His death is an irreparable loss to the nation. He was a great socialist leader. He was also the Defense Minister of the country. He was one of the effective voices fighting for the rights of the poor,” Kumar tweeted.

In another tweet, Kumar said he had a personal attachment with the SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav.
“His important contribution to the development of Uttar Pradesh and the country will always be remembered. We had a personal attachment to him. His death deeply saddens me. May God rest his soul and give strength to his family to bear patience,” the Bihar CM added.
Meanwhile, the Bihar governmnet declared one-day state mourning on Monday on the death of former UP CM Mulayam Singh Yadav.
SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav passed away at a Gurugram Hospital on Monday aged 82. The SP leader was in critical condition for the past few days.
Tejashwi Yadav, Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar also expressed his grief over Yadav’s demises.
“I express my deepest condolences and condolences on the passing away of a respected leader, SP Patron Shri Mulayam Singh Ji. He was an efficient administrator, eminent socialist and popular politician. His death has caused an irreparable loss in the political and social sphere of the country,” Tejashwi Yadav tweeted.
Talking to reporters, Tejashwi Yadav said that he had a personal relationship with the SP founder.
“I had gone to Medanta Hospital along with my father Lalu Prasad Yadav Ji to meet Mulayam Singh Yadav. The news of his demise is extremely saddening for all of us. It is a great loss for the country. We have a familiar relationship with Netaji and his family,” he said.
Mulayam Singh Yadav was born on November 22, 1939, in Saifai village of Etawah district, and rose quickly in politics to become the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh thrice. He was so well-versed in the politics of the state that he was fondly called “Netaji”.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a three-day state mourning and said the veteran leader’s last rites would be conducted with full state honours.
For a long time, the veteran SP leader politician had remained synonymous with the politics of the state. He saw UP go through many ups and downs during his five-decade-long career. The last rite of the leader will be conducted in his ancestral village.
After stepping into politics at the age of 28, he first became an MLA in 1967. When former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi declared the Emergency in 1975, Yadav went to jail with other leaders.
He also served in the Union Government once as the Defence Minister.
Mulayam Singh was elected 10 times as an MLA and seven times as Lok Sabha MP. He founded the Samajwadi Party on October 4, 1992, and soon turned it into a regional party based in Uttar Pradesh.
To form the government in Uttar Pradesh, he joined hands with Mayawati’s BSP (Bahujan Samaj Party), the BJP or the Congress whenever he needed to.
He was affiliated with a series of parties during his long career – Ram Manohar Lohia’s Sanyukt Socialist Party. He was also associated with Charan Singh’s Bharatiya Kranti Dal, Bharatiya Lok Dal and Samajwadi Janata Party. Later, he founded the Samajwadi Party in 1992. (ANI)