Lucknow, Sep 26 Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday paid tribute to late party leader and eight-time former MLA Ram Govind Chaudhary, saying he remained a lifelong crusader for social justice who always prioritised people’s cause above everything else.
Chaudhary, a former Uttar Pradesh minister, passed away on Friday while undergoing treatment at the Sanjay Gandhi Postgraduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) here. He was 73.
A former leader of the opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Chaudhary was suffering from heart and kidney-related ailments for a long time, family sources said.
A condolence meeting was held at the Ram Manohar Lohia Auditorium at the SP headquarters on Saturday, in which party chief Yadav offered floral tribute to the departed leader.
SP’s chief spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said a condolence motion was moved at the party headquarters, after which party leaders and workers observed two minutes’ silence remembering the veteran leader.
A party statement quoted Yadav as saying, “We have lost a great socialist beacon, Ram Govind Chaudhary, who under the leadership of Jayaprakash Narayan and former prime minister Chandra Shekhar kept the torch of socialist values, principles and goals burning bright.
“Rising from the revolutionary soil of Ballia and traversing the arduous path of student politics to become the leader of the opposition in the Assembly, his voice and irrefutable arguments always commanded respect,” Yadav said, adding that Chaudhary remained a lifelong crusader for social justice who always prioritised the cause of people.
He added, “As the leader of the opposition, he raised his voice even when we did not have even 50 MLAs in the House. When he spoke, the House would listen with rapt attention, drawing lessons from his powerful oratory and unwavering integrity.”
Born on July 9, 1953, in a backward village in Ballia district, Chaudhary is survived by his son and a close-knit family.
During the Emergency, Chaudhary chose to defend democratic rights and served as the co-convener of the district’s ‘Chhatra Yuva Vahini’.
Chaudhary, who worked with Jayaprakash Narayan, remained a close associate of ex-prime minister Chandra Shekhar.
He held the post of leader of the opposition from March 2017 to March 2022.
(PTI News)
