CWC condoles Arjun Singh’s death
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An emergency meeting of the newly constituted Congress working committee on Saturday condoled the demise of senior party leader Arjun Singh.
The meeting, chaired by party president Sonia Gandhi, passed a resolution describing Singh as a symbol of secular values in Indian politics. It said Singh had always fought against communal forces.
The resolution also said that Singh's efforts to uplift tribals, dalits and the under privileged will be remembered for a long time.
The 81-year-old Congress leader died on Friday after a heart attack.
Party general secretary and media department chief Janardan Dwivedi said Singh's body will be taken to his home town Churhat in Madhya Pradesh where the last rites will be performed on Sunday.
Senior party leaders Pranab Mukherjee and Mohsina Kidwai will attend the cremation.
The meeting was attended by all CWC members, including Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
In the CWC reshuffle on Friday, Singh was dropped from the party's highest policy making body and made a permanent invitee.
The CWC resolution said Singh's demise is a not only an irreparable loss for Congress but for the entire national polity.
"Singh was a such a leader that even his opponents accepted the significance of his political talent and strategy. He had some definite views on certain issues to which he always stuck and played his role in public life without bothering for controversies and opposition.
"Singh's greatest merit was that he never lost courage amidst challenges and faced them boldly and discharged every responsibility given to him by the party successfully," it said.
Meanwhile President Pratiba Patil, vice President Hamid Ansari, the Prime Minister along with his wife Gursharan Kaur and the Congress president visited Singh's residence at 17, Akbar Road here in the morning to pay respect to the departed soul.
A steady stream of mourners who filed past the body included home minister P. Chidambaram, defence minister A.K. Antony, Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit, senior BJP leader Arun Jaitley, JD-U chief Sharad Yadav, CPI-M leaders Sitaram Yechury and Brinda Karat besides a host of other UPA ministers.
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