New Delhi: President, Vice President, Prime Minister and a host of leaders on Tuesday paid rich tributes to Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde, who died following a road accident, describing him as a true and dynamic mass leader and a distinguished public servant.
Expressing grief over the untimely demise of 64-year-old Munde, President Pranab Mukherjee said, “In his death, we have lost a veteran leader who always worked for the common man”.
Vice President Hamid Ansari said he was “profoundly saddened” at the passing away of Munde. “Munde was amongst the most prominent political leaders of Maharashtra who had a long and illustrious public life. In his departure, we have lost a distinguished public servant whose absence will be felt by one and all,” he said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by the demise of Munde. “Extremely saddened & shocked by the demise of my friend & colleague Gopinath Mundeji. He was a true mass leader. Hailing from backward sections of society, he rose to great heights & tirelessly served people,” Modi tweeted.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh said Munde’s demise was an “irreparable loss” to the nation and hailed him as a true “grassroots leader”.
External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj said she was shocked to know about the sudden demise of her senior colleague.
Munde’s Maharashtra colleague and Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar broke down while paying tributes to Munde and said his death was yet to sink in. “I still cannot believe Mundeji is no longer among us. He was truly a mass leader of Maharashtra,” he said. NCP leader Sharad Pawar described Munde’s death as shocking and said, “We have lost a dynamic mass leader”.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi conveyed her heartfelt condolence to Munde’s family. Former Finance Minister P Chidambaram said Munde’s death in an accident is a sad and shocking event and offered his condolences to his family and the BJP. Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi expressed shock over Munde’s “untimely demise”.
“Shocked and pained at the untimely death of Munde; a big loss to the nation. Our condolences to the family,” Congress leader Ajay Maken tweeted.
Condoling Munde’s death, Congress General Secretary Digvijay Singh described him as a “personal friend” and “a great leader”.
Congress leader Shakeel Ahmed, who had raised the issue of Munde’s educational qualification, said he was shocked by the death of the union minister.
Union Minister for Road, Transport, Highways & Shipping, Nitin Gadkari, who was one of the first ones to reach AIIMS after the accident, said in the sad demise of Munde, the nation has lost a great leader. “He had come up from a humble background and built his strong base in the masses to become a national leader. He was a leader who had insight into both, organisational as well as administrative issues,” he said.
Consumer Affairs and Food Minister Ram Vilas Paswan said Munde was always concerned about the problems of others.
RJD chief Lalu Prasad offered his heartfelt condolences to Munde’s family, noting that he believed in the “empowerment” of the poor and deprived.
Finance and Defence Minister Arun Jaitley said he was shaken by the new of Munde’s death. “I have lost a friend.”
Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi and Agriculture Minister Radha Mohan Singh also expressed shock and grief over the minister’s death. Gandhi termed Munde as an “able and dedicated” leader.
Law and Telecom Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad recalled his association with Munde, calling him not only a big mass leader but also a very nice human being who would be “jovial and completely informal”. “We are totally devastated with his cruel and unfortunate demise,” he said.
Railways Minister D V Sadananda Gowda said Munde worked for the welfare of the common man in his long and illustrious public life. “Munde was a dedicated and a distinguished public servant and his contribution in social and public life would always be remembered,” he said.
Senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad described Munde as “people’s leader” and lauded his contribution in serving the people of the country and Maharashtra in particular. Azad said Munde was known for his hard work and had extremely cordial relations with all the leaders cutting across party lines. His death is a great loss to the BJP as also the nation, he said.
HRD Minister Smriti Irani, who paid her last respects to Munde, saying she was not in a condition to speak. Condoling the demise of Munde, BJP’s Youth wing chief Anurag Thakur said, “Gopinathji was one of the mass leaders of the party. He was the person because of whom the party did so well in Maharashtra.” (PTI)
