Twitterati condoles death of George Fernandes

George Fernandes

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress chief Rahul Gandhi along with many others from across political lines paid tributes to former Union Minister George Fernandes, who died on Tuesday after a prolonged illness.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the 88-year-old long-time socialist a "fiery trade union leader", who resisted the Emergency "tooth and nail", while Kovind described him as a "champion of democracy". He took to Twitter to condole his death and tweeted: "Frank and fearless, forthright and farsighted, he made a valuable contribution to our country. He was among the most effective voices for the rights of the poor and marginalised."

During his long years in public life, George Sahab never deviated from his political ideology. He resisted the Emergency tooth and nail. His simplicity and humility were noteworthy. My thoughts are with his family, friends and lakhs of people grieving. May his soul rest in peace.

President Ram Nath Kovind was distressed on hearing the news of Fernandes' death. "He epitomised simple living and high thinking. And was a champion of democracy, during the Emergency and beyond. We will all miss him," the President's office tweeted.

Congress President Rahul Gandhi also condoled the demise of former defence minister. "I'm sorry to hear about the passing away of former Parliamentarian & Union Minister, George Fernandes Ji. My condolences to his family and friends in this time of grief," Gandhi said in a Facebook post.

Minister of Commerce and Industry, Civil Aviation, Suresh Prabhu tweeted:

West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee was also saddened with the demise.

"India has lost a stalwart of its socialist movement," said Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Twitter.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is the Janata Dal-United chief and has worked closely with Fernandes for three decades, described his death as the "loss of the tallest socialist leader".

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in his message recalled the services of Fernandes as a dedicated leader who discharged his duties as a minister in the Government of India to the best of his abilities.

Karnataka Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy in his statement said: "Saddened to hear about the death of former Union Minister George Fernandes. A socialist and stalwart in politics, he will be remembered by people of Karnataka for his contribution to the Konkan Railway project."

(with inputs from IANS)

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