PM condoles Usha Narayanan's demise

New Delhi, Jan 24 (UNI) Prime Minister Manmohan Singh condoled the death of Usha Narayanan, wife of former President late K R Narayanan, who passed away here this evening following a prolonged illness.

In a condolence message Dr Singh described Mrs Narayanan as a gracious and gifted personality and one of the outstanding ''First Ladies of our Republic.'' ''Her passion for reading and writing was best reflected in her numerous literary pieces which included the translation of several Burmese stories to English,'' Dr Singh's message said.

A caring and compassionate person, she met the representatives of the victims of Gujarat riots of 2002 when they visited New Delhi and personally attended to them, it added.

Terming her as an indomitable fighter for the rights and empowerment of women, Dr Singh said she will be long remembered for her profound pronouncements on gender equality.

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