BENGALURU:
Congress president M Mallikarjun Kharge, top party leaders Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi paid homage to former Kerala Chief Minister Oommen Chandy who died at a private hospital here on Tuesday after a prolonged illness.
Along with Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his deputy D K Shivakumar, they visited former Karnataka minister late T John’s residence in Indiranagar, where his mortal remains were kept, to pay their last respects. Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Kharge had arrived here on Monday to attend the meeting of leaders of Opposition parties on Tuesday.
Kharge termed Chandy’s demise a ‘great loss’ to the country, Kerala and the Congress party. ”It’s a big loss to the country and also to the state of Kerala. Oommen Chandy was a great leader. He had served the party for long. He was a good administrator, good Chief Minister and a good party organiser. Today we lost him. I am very sad. It’s a great loss to the party,” he told reporters.
Rahul Gandhi said, ”Oommen Chandy represented the spirit of Kerala and India. He was the true leader of the people of Kerala. We will miss him. We loved him very much and we remember him fondly. My condolences to his family and everybody who loved him.” PTI
