Samajwadi Party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav died on Monday in Gurugram’s Medanta Hospital. His son Akhilesh Yadav confirmed the news on the party’s Twitter account. 

‘Netaji’ as he was known to many party members and followers, died after more than a month in the hospital. He was admitted to Medanta on August 22. After his health continued to deteriorate, he was shifted to the ICU on October 2.

Shortly after the death of the three-time Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, condolences began to pour in. As news of his death broke, Prime Minister Narendra Modi posted a series of messages on Twitter, mourning the loss of the long-time politician. 

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Modi shared pictures of Mulayam Singh while praising him, writing, “Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji was a remarkable personality. He was widely admired as a humble and grounded leader who was sensitive to people’s problems. He served people diligently and devoted his life towards popularising the ideals of Loknayak JP and Dr. Lohia.”

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The Prime Minister then posted another set of pictures of him with Mulayam Singh, hailing his role as a voice of democracy during the Emergency. He wrote, “Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji distinguished himself in UP and national politics. He was a key soldier for democracy during the Emergency. As Defence Minister, he worked for a stronger India. His Parliamentary interventions were insightful and emphasised on furthering national interest.”

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In his final tweet about the former Defence Minister, Modi made a call back to when the duo had met during their time as chief ministers of their respective states, before signing off the message with condolences for the 82-year-old’s family. The Prime Minister wrote, “I had many interactions with Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji when we served as Chief Ministers of our respective states. The close association continued and I always looked forward to hearing his views. His demise pains me. Condolences to his family and lakhs of supporters. Om Shanti.”

The political stalwart’s first foray into politics began in 1967 after being groomed by leaders like Ram Manohar Lohia and Raj Narain. He was elected into the Legislative Assembly of Uttar Pradesh, where he served eight terms. When Emergency was declared by Indira Gandhi in 1975, Yadav was arrested and imprisoned for 19 months.