Modi, Nadda arrive in Lucknow to pay last respects to Kalyan Singh

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) chief JP Nadda reached Lucknow on Sunday morning to pay their last respects to veteran leader Kalyan Singh who passed away on Saturday evening. He was 89.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and state BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh were present at the Lucknow airport to receive Modi and Nadda.

The leaders went to Mall Avenue in the city where the mortal remains of Kalyan Singh have been kept at the residence of his grandson Sandip Singh. A former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and a former governor of Rajasthan, Kalyan Singh died at Lucknow’s Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGIMS) at 9.15 pm on Saturday after battling prolonged illness.

On Saturday, Modi took to microblogging platform Twitter to condole the death of Kalyan Singh. “Generations to come will remain forever grateful to Kalyan Singh Ji for his contributions towards India’s cultural regeneration. He was firmly rooted in Indian values and took pride in our centuries old traditions,” the prime minister posted.

Modi had described Kalyan Singh as a "statesman, veteran administrator, grassroots level leader and great human" in his condolence message.

Addressing the media in Lucknow, Modi said, "Kalyan Singh always gave priority to public welfare. He lived up to his name. We have lost a big leader. I pray to Lord Ram to bless him. We will strive to fulfill his dreams."

Union defence minister Rajnath Singh and home minister Amit Shah are also expected to reach Lucknow to pay their tribute to the leader.

On Saturday, the chief minister had said announced a three-day mourning will be observed and the veteran leader would be put to rest on the banks of Ganga river at Narora in Bulandshahr district on Monday, which will be a public holiday every year.