Ex-PM Devegowda condoles Arjun Singh’s demise

March 5th, 2011 - 6:41 pm ICT by ANI  

New Delhi, Mar. 5 (ANI): Former Prime Minister H.D. Devegowda on Saturday condoled the death of senior Congress leader and former Union Minister Arjun Singh.

In a statement, Devegowda said: “I am deeply shocked to learn about the sad demise of veteran Congress leader Shri Arjun Singh. While the nation has undoubtedly lost an illustrious son, I personally lost a dear friend, with whom I shared an excellent rapport.

He belonged to a rare breed of politicians who never compromised on their commitment to the cherished values of our democratic polity such as secularism and protection of weaker and backward sections of the society.

Shri Singh served the nation with distinction in various capacities including as Leader of Opposition in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Minister in the state Government, Chief Minister, Governor and Union Minister.

In fact, he was one of the architects of the Rajiv-Longowal Accord, which ushered in peace in trouble-torn Punjab.

I pray to the Almighty to bless his soul with eternal peace and to lend strength and courage to the bereaved family to bear this irreparable loss.”

Singh, who was admitted at New Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), died of a heart attack yesterday. He was 81.

Arjun Singh is survived by his wife Saroj Devi, two sons- Ajay and Abhimanyu and daughter Veena.

Singh was the Union Human Resource Development Minister from 2004 to 2009, and was the Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister when the Bhopal gas tragedy occurred in December 1984.

Arjun Singh also served as the Governor of Punjab once for a short period. As Governor of Punjab, he worked for the Rajiv-Longwal Accord for peace in Punjab. He was awarded the Outstanding Parliamentarian Award for 2000. (ANI)

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