Veteran politician Mulayam Singh Yadav passes away at the age of 82

Mulayam Singh Yadav was critical for several days and was on life saving drugs at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. He was to turn 83 in six weeks.

Gurgaon: Mulayam Singh Yadav, the founder of Samajwadi Party and three-time Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, passed away this morning in a hospital. He was 82 years old.

The Samajwadi Party quoted Mulayam Singh's son Akhilesh Yadav as saying: "My respected father and leader of all has passed away."

Mulayam Singh was critical for several days and was on life saving drugs at Medanta Hospital in Gurugram. He was to turn 83 in six weeks.

“The death of Mulayam Singh Yadav pained me; He was a remarkable personality and widely acclaimed as a humble and grounded leader," wrote Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is the first to pay his tribute.

"He was a remarkable personality, widely acclaimed as a humble and grounded leader," he said.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adinath said he was deeply saddened and announced three days of state mourning in the state.

In the last days of Mulayam Singh, many leaders met him in the hospital.

Although he had been away from active politics for some time, his son Akhilesh, who had been leading the party since 2017, was counted among the major opposition forces in the country. As for the Samajwadi Party, he remained "Neta-ji" - a term that his son also used for him.

One of the top politicians of Uttar Pradesh, Mulayam Singh was also the Union Defense Minister in 1996-98.