- Singh, a former state cabinet minister, was 85 years old.
- Congress leaders including Kharge and Rahul Gandhi mourned his demise.
- He was a dedicated leader for public service and party values.
Lucknow/Jaunpur (UP), Apr 21 (PTI) Former Uttar Pradesh Congress president Arun Kumar Singh ‘Munna’, who also had been a state cabinet minister in the 1980s, passed away in Prayagraj following prolonged illness, his son said on Tuesday. He was 85.
Congress leadership, including party president Mallikarjun Kharge and Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, mourned the death of Arun Kumar, who passed away on Monday evening.
According to Arun Kumar Singh’s son, Abhishek, the veteran UP Congress leader had been ill for a long time and was residing in his native Ramnagar village of Jaunpur district.
“Three days ago, his condition deteriorated significantly, and he was admitted to a private hospital in Prayagraj, where he breathed his last. His mortal remains have been brought to Ramnagar village,” Abhishek said.
Expressing grief over his demise, senior Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, in a post on X in Hindi, said, “The news of the demise of Arun Kumar Singh ‘Munna’ ji — former president of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee and a senior leader is extremely heartbreaking. He dedicated his entire life to public service and to the values of the Congress Party. In this hour of grief, my deepest condolences are with his bereaved family and supporters.” Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said the leader will be remembered for his simplicity and dedication to public service.
“…his steadfast loyalty to the organisation. His entire life was devoted to serving the public and strengthening the ideology of the Congress party. I extend my deepest condolences to his family and supporters,” Kharge said on X.
Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi also offered condolences in her message on X and said, “Shri Arun Kumar Singh Ji was a leader dedicated to public service and ideology. His departure is an irreplaceable loss for the Congress family. May God grant peace to the departed soul. My deepest condolences to the bereaved family members and well-wishers.” UP Congress chief Ajay Rai, while paying his tributes to the departed leader, on Monday said, “Today, I visited his residence in Ramnagar, Mungra Badshahpur (Jaunpur district), met with his bereaved family members, and expressed my deepest condolences.
“The loss of Munna ji is an irreparable void for both the Congress family and the politics of the state” Rai said on X.
The UP Congress also posted a condolence message from its official X handle, and said, “…the entire Congress family stands in solidarity with the bereaved family members.” Former Jaunpur district Congress chief, Lalji Chauhan, recalled that Arun Kumar Singh began his political career in the 1970s, first gaining popularity among the masses as the president of the Allahabad University Students’ Union.
Later, inspired by Sanjay Gandhi, he joined Congress, where he subsequently became the state president of the Youth Congress in 1977. In 1982, he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Council, Chauhan shared, and eventually became Minister for Cooperatives for the first time in Sripati Mishra’s cabinet during the 1980s. He continued to serve as a minister in subsequent Congress governments.
In 1989, he was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) from the Rari constituency in Jaunpur, representing the Congress party.
In 1998, Congress fielded him as their Lok Sabha candidate from the Jaunpur constituency, but he was defeated. In July 2002, the party appointed him as the president of its UP unit, a position he held until May 30, 2003.
(Disclaimer: This report has been published as part of the auto-generated syndicate wire feed. Apart from the headline, no editing has been done in the copy by ABP Live.)
