Political leaders cutting across the party lines paid rich tributes to the Shiv Sena founder Bal Thackeray who passed away in Mumbai on Saturday afternoon. The President Pranab Mukherjee, while condoling the demise of Thackeray, said that the nation has lost a veteran leader who worked to help the common man.
The President in his condolence letter to Thackeray’s son Uddhav noted that he was “extremely sad to learn about the passing away” of Balasaheb Thackeray. “Shri Thackeray’s passing away is a loss for the people of Maharashtra and India. His contributions in the field of media added a different perspective to the political discourse,” Mr Mukherjee stated in his letter.
Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, while appealing people to maintain calm and sobriety, condoled the death of Thackeray. He called up Uddhav Thackeray to express his condolences. “Interests of Maharashtra were particularly important for Thackeray and he always stove to inculcate a sense of pride in its people. He founded the Shiv Sena and built the party into a formidable force in the state politics with his strong leadership. The passing away of Balasaheb will be deeply felt by his family and his followers,” the Prime Minister stated in his condolence message.
The BJP, which has been an alliance partner of the Shiv Sena, also mourned the death of Thackeray.