Rashtriya Lok Dal chief and former Union minister Ajit Singh passed away on Thursday after losing battle to Covid-19, his son Jayant Chaudhary confirmed on Twitter. He was 82. Singh, a veteran leader in Uttar Pradesh, was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Gurugram after he tested positive for coronavirus infection on April 30.
“”Chaudhary Ajit Singh ji was diagnosed as Covid+ on the 20th of April. He battled his condition till the very end and breathed his last today morning, the 6th of May, 2021. Throughout his life journey, Chaudhary Sahib was loved and respected by many. He, in turn, cherished this bond with all of you and gave his best consideration and efforts for our welfare,,” Jayant Chaudhary said in tweet today.
Ajit Singh, the son of former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh, quit the computer industry to return to India and join politics. He became a Rajya Sabha member in 1986.
Ajit Singh was a seven-time Member of Parliament from Baghpat, and served as Union Minister for Civil Aviation, Agriculture, and Food Processing Industries in different governments. He founded Rahstriya Lok Dal in 1996
Ajit Singh obtained B.Tech (Computer Science) from IIT, Kharagpur and MS from Illinois Institute of Technology. A computer scientist by profession, Singh was one of the first Indians to work with IBM in the 1960s. He had served in the governments of VP Singh, PV Narasimha Rao, Atal Bihari Vajpayee and Manmohan Singh.
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Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief at the demise of the veteran leader and said that Singh was always dedicated to welfare of farmers.
“The death of former Union Minister Chaudhary Ajit Singh ji is extremely sad. He was always devoted to the interests of the farmers. He efficiently discharged the responsibilities of several departments at the center. My condolences to his family and fans in this hour of mourning. om Shanti!” PM Modi said on Twitter.
Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi also condoled the death of the RLD founder. “The news of the untimely demise of Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Ajit Singh ji is sad. My condolences to his family and loved ones,” he tweeted.
