Lucknow: Prime Minister Narendra Modi pays his last respects to BJP veteran and former Governor Kalyan Singh
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday arrived in Lucknow, where he paid tributes to former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh who died late on Saturday night. The prime minister was received by Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and BJP chief JP Nadda at the Lucknow airport. Prime Minister Modi then went to the Mall Avenue residence of the late leader, where he met the former chief minister's family members and offered his condolences.
Taking to Twitter, the prime minister's office today said, "Shri Kalyan Singh Ji made Jan Kalyan his life Mantra. He worked for the development of UP and the nation. He became synonymous with honesty and good administration."
Speaking to reporters outside Kalyan Singh's residence, PM Narendra Modi today said, "We lost a capable leader. We should make maximum efforts by taking his values and resolutions to compensate for him; we should leave no stone unturned in fulfilling his dreams. I pray to Lord Ram to give Kalyan Singh a place by him and give strength to his family to bear this pain."
Rajnath Singh pays tributes to Kalyan Singh
Union Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said that with the demise of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, he had lost a "big brother and a companion".
"Kalyan Singh's demise has caused irreparable loss. We shared an old relationship. I've known him since I was elected as MLA in 1977 when he became UP Health Minister. It's difficult to decide whether he was a leader, big brother or friend," the defence minister said today.
The union minister also said that he would visit Lucknow for the 'Antim Darshan' of Kalyan Singh who passed away on Saturday due to sepsis and multi-organ failure at the age of 89.
In an earlier tweet, Rajnath Singh said: "With the passing away of Shri Kalyan Singh ji, I have lost my elder brother and companion. The void created by his death is almost impossible to fill. May God give patience and strength to his bereaved family in this difficult time of grief."
Last rites of former UP CM Kalyan Singh tomorrow
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. 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.
Kalyan Singh's body will be taken to the Vidhan Bhawan for two hours where legislators and ministers will pay their tributes to him. Thereafter, the body will be taken to the BJP state headquarters where party workers will offer their tributes to the late leader.
Later in the afternoon, Kalyan Singh's mortal remains will be flown to Aligarh where his body will be kept in the stadium to allow people to pay their respects.
The cremation will take place at Narora Ghat in Bulandshahr on Monday.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will accompany the body to Aligarh.
Uttar Pradesh has announced three-day mourning and a holiday on Monday when the former chief minister's last rites will be performed.
A Lodhi leader, Singh was instrumental in the rise of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to power in Uttar Pradesh in the 1990s.
He 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.
