Prez, VP condole Digvijay Singh's death

President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari today condoled the death of former Union Minister and Lok Sabha MP from Bihar Digvijay Singh.

President Pratibha Patil and Vice President Hamid Ansari Thursday condoled the death of former Union Minister and Lok Sabha MP from Bihar Digvijay Singh.

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Patil said Singh was a well-known parliamentarian who was active in politics since his student days.

"He had the opportunity to serve in various capacities during his political career. In his passing, the nation has lost an active public figure," she said.

In his condolence message, the Vice President said he was "deeply grieved" to learn about the Singh's demise.

"Singh served the people with distinction during his many years in public life and always worked for the uplift of the poor and the downtrodden and earned the respect and admiration of the people for his dedication, sense of public service, innate simplicity and honesty," he said.

Singh, a former Minister of State for External Affairs in the NDA government, breathed his last Thursday at St Thomas Hospital in London. He was 53.

The death of Singh, who also had a stint as a junior minister in the Railway Ministry, was also condoled by Railway Minister Mamata Banerjee.

"Digvijay Singh, a close associate of mine, was a dynamic politician who served the people with dedication and commitment," Banerjee said, adding, the void created by his demise would be difficult to fill.

In his condolence message, Minister of State for Railways E Ahamed said with the demise of Singh, the nation has lost an energetic parliamentarian who lived up to the ideals of communal harmony and social justice.

Another Minister of State in the Ministry K H Muniyappa said Singh will be remembered for his contribution to sports, especially shooting. Singh was also the President of the National Rifle Association of India (NRAI).