Several Congress leaders sent their condolences after the passing away of former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit at a private hospital in Delhi on Saturday.
In a tweet, Gandhi said, "I am devastated to hear about the passing away of Sheila Dikshit Ji, a beloved daughter of the Congress Party, with whom I shared a close personal bond. My condolences to her family & the citizens of Delhi, whom she served selflessly as a three-term chief minister, in this time of great grief."
I’m devastated to hear about the passing away of Sheila Dikshit Ji, a beloved daughter of the Congress Party, with whom I shared a close personal bond.
My condolences to her family & the citizens of Delhi, whom she served selflessly as a 3 term CM, in this time of great grief.
— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) July 20, 2019
The Congress, in its official Twitter handle, posted, "We regret to hear of the passing (away) of Smt Sheila Dikshit. Lifelong congresswoman and as three-time CM of Delhi she transformed the face of Delhi. Our condolences to her family and friends. Hope they find strength in this time of grief."
We regret to hear of the passing of Smt Sheila Dikshit. Lifelong congresswoman and as three time CM of Delhi she transformed the face of Delhi. Our condolences to her family and friends. Hope they find strength in this time of grief. pic.twitter.com/oNHy23BpAL
— Congress (@INCIndia) July 20, 2019
Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot also condoled the demise of his party colleague Dikshit.
Deeply shocked and anguished to know about the demise of Sheila Dixit Ji. it is a great loss for Congress Party. She was a mass leader and would be hugely missed. May her soul RIP and may God give strength to the bereaved family. pic.twitter.com/tKwEolKIYb
— Ashok Gehlot (@ashokgehlot51) July 20, 2019
"Deeply sad and anguished to know about the demise of Sheila Dikshit ji. It is a great loss for Congress," Gehlot tweeted.
"She was a mass leader and would be hugely missed," he added.
Priyanka Gandhi posted on Twitter that Sheila Dixit will be remembered for her ' exemplary governance and immense contribution to the development of Delhi'.
Sheilaji will always be remembered for her years of exemplary governance and immense contribution to the development of Delhi. I will miss her wise counsel, her sweet smile and the warmth with which she would hug me whenever we met.
— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 20, 2019"She was a mass leader and would be hugely missed," he added.
Former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh on Saturday expressed his condolence over the demise of veteran Congress leader Sheila Dikshit, saying that the people of the national capital will always remember her contribution to the development of the city during her tenure as Delhi Chief Minister for 15 years from 1998.
In a heartfelt statement, Singh said that the country has lost a "dedicated Congress leader of the masses".
"I am shocked to hear the sudden passing away of Smt Shiela Dixit. In her death, the country has lost a dedicated Congress Leader of the masses. People of Delhi will always remember her contribution to the development Delhi during her tenure as Chief Minister for three terms," he said.
Dikshit passed away at the age of 81.
(With Inputs from PTI and ANI)