Condolences pour in for Ajit Singh, gloom in west UP
President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, defence minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were among several leaders who condoled the death of Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Ajit Singh on Thursday.
A pall of gloom descended on the western Uttar Pradesh region as the news of the death of the former union minister was received. Singh passed away at a Gurgaon hospital on Thursday morning battling Covid-19, his family said. He was 82.
“Saddened by the demise of Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and former Union Minister Chaudhary Ajit Singh. He always raised his voice in the interest of farmers. As a public representative and a minister, he left a different mark on the politics of the country. My condolences to his family and well-wishers,” Kovind tweeted in Hindi.
Expressing grief, PM Modi said Ajit Singh was always dedicated to the welfare of farmers. Modi said he deftly handled many responsibilities at the Centre.
Defence minister Rajnath Singh tweeted, “The news of Chaudhary Ajit Singh’s demise is
painful. In his long public life, he was always connected to the people and the land. At the same time, he fought for the interests of farmers, labourers and other weaker sections. My condolences to his bereaved family and supporters.”
“During his political career, he always dedicated himself to public service. May his departed soul rest in peace. I pray for strength to the bereaved family,” BJP chief Nadda tweeted.
In a tweet, CM Yogi Adityanath also expressed grief and paid tribute to the late leader.
The Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM), an umbrella body of farm unions spearheading the agitation against the Centre’s three agri laws, said Ajit Singh had openly supported their movement.
Those who were closely associated with him for decades described his death as a huge loss for the farmers’ community.
Meghalaya governor Satya Pal Malik expressed his grief over the phone: “I lost the son of my leader (the late Chaudhary Charan Singh). Like his father, he was always a strong voice of farmers.”
Farmer leader and Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) chief Naresh Tikait said, “Farmers have suffered a great loss.” He said villagers were saddened by the fact that they could not participate in his funeral due to Covid-19 protocol restrictions.
Lakhs of people would have participated in the funeral otherwise, he said.
Tikait said Ajit Singh had a great bond with his father Mahendra Singh Tikait in spite of differences on issues. He further said Ajit Singh continued this relationship with the Tikait family even after his father passed away (in 2011) and recently visited their ancestral house at Sisauli in Muzaffarnagar district of western Uttar Pradesh to discuss the farmers’ movement.
“He always emphasised on keeping communal harmony intact and worked for it relentlessly,” said Tikait
On an emotional note, Naresh Tikait said, “We still regret the defeat of Ajit Singh in the 2019 Lok Sabha election from Muzaffarnagar constituency.”
“I admitted our mistake in the Muzaffarnagar mahapanchayat (in January),” the Bhartiya Kisan Union chief said.