Congress veteran, former Union house minister Buta Singh passes away

Image Source : TWITTER Congress veteran, former Union house minister Buta Singh
Prominent Dalit chief of the Congress and former Union house minister Buta Singh, who served below 4 prime ministers in a political profession spanning over 5 many years, died on the AIIMS in Delhi on Saturday morning. He was 86. Singh was in a coma since October final yr when he was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after he suffered a mind hemorrhage. He died round 7.10 am, his household mentioned.
He was cremated on the Lodhi Road crematorium within the night. A lot of Congress leaders and employees attended the cremation. His supporters earlier paid their final respects to the departed chief at his Jangpura Extension residence and on the Sri Nanaksar Gurudwara in Wazirabad, the place his physique was saved.
A staunch loyalist of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Singh was a member of Lok Sabha for eight phrases, held a number of positions in various ideological dispensations on the Centre and have become the Governor of Bihar in 2004.
Singh typically discovered himself on the centre of main controversies. He was as soon as excommunicated from the socio-religious order of the Sikhs for his alleged function within the Operation Blue Star, however was pardoned a decade later.
President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh condoled his demise.
“In the passing of Shri Buta Singh, the country has lost one of the longest serving parliamentarians with rich administrative experience. He championed the cause of the oppressed and marginalized. Condolences to his family and supporters,” Kovind mentioned in a tweet.
Naidu mentioned, “Saddened to learn about the passing away of Shri Buta Singh Ji. He was an able administrator and parliamentarian. My heartfelt condolences to bereaved family members.”
The prime minister mentioned Singh was “an experienced administrator and effective voice for the welfare of the poor as well as downtrodden”.
Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, in a letter to his son Arvinder Singh, described him as a pacesetter of “high esteem” who was revered by everyone no matter celebration traces.
Manmohan Singh mentioned, “He was a great Parliamentarian and a distinguished administrator who devoted his whole life to the service of the poor and other backward communities.”
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi mentioned Singh devoted all his life within the service of the nation.
“In the demise of Sardar Buta Singh Ji, the country has lost a true public servant and a loyal leader. He devoted his entire life in the service of the country and the well-being of people, for which he will always be remembered,” the previous Congress chief mentioned in a tweet in Hindi.
Condoling Singh’s demise, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh mentioned he “dedicated his life serving poor and downtrodden. He served the nation in several capacities.”

Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh, West Bengal CM Mamata Banerjee, Rajasthan CM Ashok Gehlot and several other Union ministers additionally condoled Singh’s demise.
Born right into a humble ‘mazhbi’ Sikh household in Mustafapur in Punjab’s Jalandhar district on March 21, 1934, Singh rose by the political ranks and went on to change into the digital No. 2 within the Rajiv Gandhi authorities within the late Nineteen Eighties.
During his tenure as house minister, he oversaw the consecration of bricks for a Ram temple in Ayodhya in 1989 when the location was disputed and confronted criticism for the dismissal of many state governments. He was thought-about a one-man “demolition squad” of Rajiv Gandhi who “axed” many state governments.
Before Rajiv Gandhi, Singh was near Indira Gandhi and held a number of positions in her authorities. He additionally performed a task in choosing the Congress’s new ballot image — “hand” — after the celebration cut up in 1978.
But, Singh needed to pay a worth for his shut affiliation with the Gandhis and his positions within the successive Congress governments — he was excommunicated from the socio-religious order of the Sikhs in April 1985 for his function within the Operation Blue Star that prompted injury to the Akal Takht, the very best temporal seat of the Sikhism.
Nearly 10 years after the occasions on the Golden Temple, he sought atonement and returned to the Sikh fold. In March 1994, he was granted pardon.
Pictures of him present process the punishment of dusting sneakers, washing dishes and sweeping flooring on the Golden Temple and different gurudwaras, with a plaque round his neck declaring him a sinner, went viral on the time.
In his preliminary political days, Singh was related to the Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD). He joined the Congress within the early Nineteen Sixties. He was first elected to the Lower House of Parliament in 1962 from Punjab. Later, he represented Rajasthan’s Jalore constituency in Lok Sabha.
He converted to the BJP briefly and have become the Minister for Communications within the Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet in March 1998. But he needed to resign quickly after following his indictment within the JMM bribery case.
He, thereafter, switched again to the Congress and was made the Governor of Bihar in 2004. He needed to give up as Bihar Governor after the Supreme Court was essential of his function in recommending the dissolution of the state Assembly in 2005. He resigned in 2006.
AICC common secretary KC Venugopal attended his cremation. He additionally laid a wreath on behalf of the Congress household. Wreaths had been additionally laid on his physique on the Lodhi Road crematorium on behalf of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi.
“The party and nation has lost a stalwart leader today,” the Congress celebration mentioned. 
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