Kalyan Singh, BJP’s first chief minister in UP, dies at 89
LUCKNOW: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, who formed the Bharatiya Janata Party’s first government in the state in 1991, died of sepsis and multi-organ failure at Lucknow’s Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences on Saturday, the hospital said in a statement late at night. He was 89.
“Former Chief Minister of UP and and Ex-Governor of Rajasthan Kalyan Singh Ji breathed his last today. He died due to sepsis and multiorgan failure,” said a statement by the hospital. The BJP stalwart was admitted to the hospital’s intensive care unit on July 4 due to an infection and reduced consciousness level.
Singh, who was accused of criminal conspiracy in the Babri Masjid demolition case for it was during his tenure as chief minister that the 16th century mosque was demolished, also served as the Rajasthan governor between 2014 and 2015.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that coming generations will remain forever grateful to Singh for his contributions towards India’s “cultural regeneration”.
“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 in a tweet.
Singh was firmly rooted in Indian values and took pride in its centuries-old traditions, the PM said and lauded him as a “statesman, veteran administrator, grassroots level leader and great human”.
Chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who rushed to SGPGI soon after Singh’s death, announced a three-day mourning in the state.
“It is an irreparable loss for all of us. We have lost a great leader,” the chief minister said. “The body of the great leader would be taken from the hospital to his Mall Avenue residence and from where on Sunday his body would be kept at the Vidhan Bhawan as well as the UP BJP office,” the CM said.
Appointed the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit chief after the demise of the party’s first state chief Madhav Prasad Tripathi in 1984, Singh was tasked with countering the Mandal agitation.