Raghuvansh Prasad Singh's demise: President Kovind, PM Modi condole death of RJD leader

President Ram Nath Kovind expressed grief over the passing away of former Union Minister and ex-RJD leader of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh on Sunday. The former RJD leader passed away at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi where he was admitted and was being treated for post-COVID complications. He was 74.

"The passing away of Raghuvansh Prasad Singh is tragic. An outstanding leader rooted to ground, Raghuvansh Babu was a true stalwart with phenomenal understanding of rural India. With his Spartan and sagely lifestyle, he enriched public life. Condolences to his family and followers," President Kovind wrote in his tweet.

The Vice President of the country M. Venkaiah Naidu also condoled the death of the former Union minister and said "Saddened to learn about the sudden demise of former Union Minister, Shri Raghuvansh Prasad Singh. A good parliamentarian and a grassroot level leader, he strove for the upliftment of the poor and rural masses".

READ | Former Union Minister & RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh passes away at AIIMS

PM Modi and HM Amit shah console the death of ex-RJD leader 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi also mourned the loss of the departed leader and said Singh's demise left in the political sphere.
"Raghuvansh Prasad Singh is no more among us. His demise has left a void in the political sphere of Bihar as well as the country," he tweeted.

Home Minister Amit Shah also condoled the demised of the former Union Minister, "The demise of senior Bihar politician Raghuvansh Babu is deeply saddening. His entire life was devoted to the ideas of Lohia Ji (Ram Manohar Lohia) and Karpoori Thakur Ji. His dedication towards the welfare of the poor and deprived will always be remembered. I express my condolences to his family. Om Shanti," Shah wrote.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh condoled the death Raghuvansh Prasad Singh and praised the former RJD leader for his great leadership skills.

"Raghuvansh Prasad Singh ji was counted among the stalwart leaders of Bihar who fought for the rights of the backward and weaker sections of the society. He was an enlightened and sensitive person. I am saddened by his demise. My condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti!", the defense Minister wrote in his tweet.

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About ex-RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh

Former Union Minister and ex-RJD leader Raghuvansh Prasad Singh passed days after he wrote a letter announcing his resignation from RJD. Singh was a Member of Parliament in the 15th Lok Sabha and represented Bihar's Vaishali constituency. He also served as the national vice president of RJD until last month, before tendering his resignation allegedly due to a leadership vacuum and internal war-of-words with Lalu's sons. Known as one of the ace politicians in Bihar politics, he served as energy minister of the state in the Karpoori Thakur cabinet. Singh also served as union ministers for three terms, the last one during Manmohan Singh's UPA 1 as Minister for Rural Development. He is credited for bringing in the NREGA scheme under UPA-1. Even though he represented Bihar's Vaishali constituency for a record five times, he lost two consecutive elections - 2014 and 2019 - from Vaishali. Raghuvansh Prasad Singh was one of the key confidants of RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav and has played a key role in building the party and in making Lalu the CM. 

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(with inputs from ANI)