Ajit Singh, the leader of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) and a former Union minister, died on Thursday. He was 82 years old. Ajit Singh, who had been fighting Covid-19, died on Thursday morning at a hospital in Gurugram, according to his relatives. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences on Ajit Singh’s death, saying that he was always committed to the welfare of farmers and that he deftly treated several responsibilities at the Centre.
The RLD chief, a prominent leader in western Uttar Pradesh, was admitted to a private hospital in Gurugram after his condition deteriorated due to a lung infection on Tuesday. Ajit Singh had tested positive for the novel coronavirus on April 20.
Ajit Singh was diagnosed with Covid on April 20, his son said in tweets. “He battled his condition till the very end and breathed his last today morning,” he said.
“With a heavy heart I inform you that Ch. Ajit Singh passed away today, the 6th May 2021 at 8.20 AM battling Covid. He was being treated in a private hospital and was in the ICU and also on ventilator support from the last few days,” read a message for Ajit Singh’s personal secretary.
Ajit Singh was a seven-time MP and Union Minister in the governments of VP Singh, PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee, and Manmohan Singh. He was an alumnus of IIT Kharagpur and the Illinois Institute of Technology. He had a huge following in Uttar Pradesh, particularly in the western parts of the state, which are dominated by Jats.
Many people took to social media to express their sorrow over Ajit Singh’s death.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of the leader. “The death of former Union Minister Chaudhary Ajit Singh Ji is extremely sad. He was always devoted to the interests of farmers,” PM Modi wrote on Twitter.
President Ram Nath Kovind said he was saddened by the demise of the RLD President. “He always raised his voice for farmers. As a public representative and a minister, he left a mark on the politics of the country. My condolences to his family and well-wishers.” the President wrote on Twitter.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said in a condolence message that Ajit Singh represented the public and the land, and struggled for farmers, labourers, and other marginalized people.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also condoled the demise of RLD chief Chaudhary Ajit Singh and wrote, “The news of the untimely demise of Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh Ji is sad. My condolences to his family and loved ones.”
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, SP supremo Akhilesh Yadav and others have condoled the death of the leader.
