• By JE News Desk
  • Mon, 10 Oct 2022 09:41 AM (IST)
  • Source:JND
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Mulayam Singh Yadav, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party patriarch, died at the age of 82 at a private hospital in the national capital region. The SP founder, who had been undergoing treatment at the Medanta Hospital in Gurugram, breathed his last at 8.16 am on Monday, October 10. 

Sharing the news of his demise, son Akhilesh Yadav said, "My respected father and everyone's leader is no more." The last rites of the late SP patriarch will be held at Saifai, his ancestral village in Uttar Pradesh, he said. 

Condoling the demise, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced three-day state mourning and said the funeral of the veteran politician will be held with full state honours.

Following the news of his death, condolence messages began pouring in from across the country. 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief at the loss of the veteran leader, saying, "Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji was a remarkable personality. He was widely admired as a humble and grounded leader who was sensitive to people’s problems. He served people diligently and devoted his life towards popularising the ideals of Loknayak JP and Dr. Lohia."

"Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji distinguished himself in UP and national politics. He was a key soldier for democracy during the Emergency. As Defence Minister, he worked for a stronger India. His Parliamentary interventions were insightful and emphasised on furthering national interest," he wrote on Twitter.

PM Modi recalled his interactions with the late leader and shared old images with him. "I had many interactions with Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji when we served as Chief Ministers of our respective states. The close association continued and I always looked forward to hearing his views. His demise pains me. Condolences to his family and lakhs of supporters. Om Shanti," he said.

Mulayam Singh had been on life support system since the past one week. He was facing difficulty in breathing and was under the supervision of an internal medicine expert at the Medanta Hospital, PTI reported citing its sources. Singh was suffering from a urinary infection as well.

On October 2, he was admitted to the ICU of the hospital after his health deteriorated. As concerns mounted over his condition, his brother Shivpal Yadav, son Akhilesh Yadav and daughter-in-law Dimple Yadav were present at the hospital.

The SP leader was under the treatment of oncologists Dr Nitin Sood and Dr Sushil Kataria at the Medanta hospital since August 22.

All About Mulayam Singh Yadav

Mulayam Singh Yadav, who had served as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister thrice, had begun his political career as a student leader. After winning his first state election in 1967, he went on to become the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh for the first time in 1989. He also held the position of Union defence minister between 1996-1998.

Exactly 30 years ago, Mulayam had founded the Samajwadi Party in October 1992.

Before entering into politics, Mulayam Singh Yadav was a wrestler and was set for a career in teaching. However, influenced by the socialist ideology of Ram Manohar Lohia, an independence-era activist and leader, Mulayam quit wrestling and joined the socialist movement during the 1950s.

Established as a grassroot-level leader through the movement, he also mobilised the other backward classes (OBC), especially Yadavs. In 1967, he was initiated into active politics as he won a Yadav-dominated Assembly seat for the regional Samyukta Socialist Party (SSP) in 1967.

With Samajwadi Party's launch in 1992, Mulayam laid the foundation of the Yadav family as one of the largest political dynasties of the country.

In 1993, SP along with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) defeated the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the state after the Babri Masjid demolition.

In his career spanning several decades, Mulayam Singh was elected Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) 10 times and became Lok Sabha MP seven times.