The political leaders in Jammu and Kashmir, Peoples Democratic Party's (PDP) Mehbooba Mufti, National Conference (NC) leaders Farooq Abdullah and Omar Abdullah on Monday condoled the demise of Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Mulayam Singh passed away at the age of 82 at a Gurugram Hospital on Monday at 8.16 am due to prolonged illness. His condition was critical for the past few weeks and he was on life-saving drugs.
For a long time, the veteran 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.
Expressing grief over the death of veteran leader, PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti said, "Mulayam Singh Yadav was a secular leader who protected and empowered the backward classes and Muslim minorities. He refused to surrender to communal forces. We should learn lessons from his life and firmly stand up to communal forces," said PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti.
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 the 15th CM of Uttar Pradesh in 1989, which marked the year when the Congress was voted out, failing to return to power in the state ever since.
Meanwhile, National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah said that Mulayam Singh was a "people's leader", who devoted his entire life to the welfare of the poor.
"He used to respect all religions and fight for all religions. There's no person in India who would not be grieved on this day," Farooq Abdullah expressed before ANI.
Vice president of JKNC Omar Abdullah took to Twitter and conveyed "heartfelt condolences" to Mulayam Singh's son Akhilesh Yadav and the family and said that the personality of 'Neta ji' was towering.
https://twitter.com/OmarAbdullah/status/1579327735759278080
"I join my father & all my colleagues in conveying our heartfelt condolences to @yadavakhilesh& his entire family. Neta ji was a towering personality & his contribution to UP & the rest of the country will not be forgotten. May his soul rest in peace," Omar Abdullah's tweet read.
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".
His body has been taken to his ancestral village Saifai, where the final rites will be attended by Union Defence Minister Rajnath, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, and Telangana CM KCR on Tuesday.
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.
( With inputs from ANI )
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