Yogi Adityanath said that Kalyan Singh was known as Ram ‘bhakt’ of the nation. (File)
Aligarh (Uttar Pradesh):
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid his last respects to former Chief Minister Kalyan Singh on Sunday and said people were paying him respects from the airport to the city.
Yogi Adityanath told reporters in Aligarh: “Today we have taken the remains of Kalyan Singh ji to Maharani Ahilyabai Holkar Stadium in his hometown of Aligarh. We have decided to bring the remains here so that the followers of Singh ji can take him for the last time. He has been associated with the people of Aligarh for years.”
“He is known as the Ram bhakt of the nation. From the airport to Aligarh, the people of Uttar Pradesh have immense respect for Kalyan ji. I pray to God Ram to give us strength to fulfill his dreams,” said Yogi Adityanath .
When asked by reporters whether the Aligarh airport will be named after Kalyan Singh, Yogi Adityanath said: “We will hold a meeting with the cabinet soon and discuss it.” Recently, according to reports, after the demise of Kalyan Singh, BJP leaders in Aligarh reiterated their demand to name the newly built mini-airport after the former prime minister.
Yogi Adityanath applauded the development work under Mr Singh’s tenure, saying, “Prior to Kalyan ji’s 1992 resignation, he undertook development work for the poor and oppressed. He was not only a leader promoting a particular caste or community, but worked for the good of all people. He believed in the teachings of Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya ji. He was an RSS leader in his truest form.”
“Unlike his opposition parties who, in the name of occupying the post of the Chief Minister, slammed the Ram Mandir movement, he was a leader of the masses,” he added.
The defining moment in Kalyan Singh’s life was the fall of Babri Masjid on December 6, 1992. Just hours after gangs karsevaks destroyed, Mr Singh resigned as chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, with moral responsibility.
Mr Singh passed away on Saturday. He was admitted to the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences on July 4 after his health deteriorated.
“Former Chief Minister of UP and ex-Governor of Rajasthan Kalyan Singh Ji took his last breath today. He was admitted to SGPGI in Intensive Care Unit on July 4 in critical condition. He died due to sepsis and multi-organ failure,” said a statement from the hospital.
Yogi Adityanath had met Kalyan Singh earlier yesterday and had prayed for his speedy recovery. Mr Singh was on dialysis and on a ventilator. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inquired about his health and several BJP leaders had visited him in the hospital.
