Kalyan Singh Dies at 89: PM pays last respects to ex-UP CM in Lucknow
Lucknow/New Delhi, Aug 22: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BJP veteran Kalyan Singh, who was ailing for some time, died at the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) in Lucknow on Saturday night. He was 89.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday paid his last respects to former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh.
Lucknow police commissioner DK Thakur said that the prime minister will land in Lucknow around 9.30 a.m and drive straight to the Mall Avenue residence of the late leader where he will offer his condolences and meet family members.
Dattatreya Hosabale, senior Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) leader, is also arriving in Lucknow to pay tributes to the late Kalyan Singh.
Tributes poured in for the prominent backward caste leader with Prime Minister hailing the two-time Uttar Pradesh chief minister's "indelible contribution" towards the development of the state and the "cultural regeneration" of India.
Singh, who also served as the Rajasthan governor, was admitted to the Intensive Care Unit of the SGPGI in a critical condition on July 4. He died due to sepsis and multi-organ failure, the hospital said.
Uttar Pradesh has announced a three-day mourning and a holiday on Monday, when the former chief minister's last rites will be performed. Singh was the Uttar Pradesh chief minister when the Babri mosque was demolished by a mob of "karsevaks" in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992. Along with BJP veterans L K Advani and M M Joshi, he was among the 32 people acquitted in the demolition case in September last year.
Kalyan Singh No More: PM Modi leads Nation in paying tribute to BJP stalwart
A Lodhi leader, Singh was instrumental in the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in Uttar Pradesh in the 1990s. Singh is survived by his wife Ramvati Devi, son Rajveer Singh, who is the Lok Sabha MP from Etah, and grandson Sandeep Singh, who is the minister of state for finance, technical education, medical education in Uttar pradesh.
The prime minister spoke to the veteran BJP leader's son Rajveer Singh and conveyed his condolence. "I am saddened beyond words. Kalyan Singh Ji... statesman, veteran administrator, grassroots level leader and great human. He leaves behind an indelible contribution towards the development of Uttar Pradesh. Spoke to his son Shri Rajveer Singh and expressed condolences. Om Shanti," he said in a tweet.
"Generations to come will remain forever grateful to Kalyan Singh Ji for his contributions towards India's cultural regeneration. He was firmly rooted in Indian values and took pride in our centuries-old traditions. "Kalyan Singh Ji gave voice to crores of people belonging to the marginalised sections of society. He made numerous efforts towards the empowerment of farmers, youngsters and women," he said.
President Ram Nath Kovind condoled Singh's demise, saying he had a "magical connect" with the masses. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu described Singh as a nationalist and an exemplary leader.