VHP leader Ashok Singhal passes away; PM Modi terms his demise 'a deep personal loss'

Gurgaon, Nov 17: VHP leader Ashok Singhal passed away on Tuesday at a Gurgaon hospital following cardio-vascular failure and septicaemia.

Singhal, who was undergoing treatment after he was admitted there in early hours of Saturday with complaints of acute breathlessness, breathed his last on Tuesday afternoon.

"Mr Singhal died at 2.24 pm at Medanta Medicity hospital, Gurgaon," VHP International President Pravin Togadia told media persons on Tuesday.

89-year-old Singhal was admitted on November 14 to Medanta following complaints of acute breathlessness and was diagnosed with right lower Lobe Pneumonia.

Condoling his death PM Narendra Modi took to twitter and said his demise his a personal loss to him.

"The demise of Ashok Singhal ji is a deep personal loss. He was an institution in himself, whose life was centered around serving the nation. Ashok Singhal ji was the force behind several noble deeds & social work, which benefitted the poor. He is an inspiration for generations," PM tweeted.

Meanwhile, RSS ideologue Rakesh Sinha told OneIndia, "Ashok Singhalji's death is a great loss. He was a true flag bearer of Hindutva. May his soul rest in peace."

Singhal was admitted to Medanta - The Medicity hospital in Sector 38 and was kept on life-support systems in the Intensive Care Unit.

Singhal rose to prominence playing a leading role in the Ram Janambhoomi movement in the late eighties and after. A bachelor and an RSS pracharak all his life, Singhal, adopted an aggressive style in the "kar sewak" campaign in the build up to the demolition of the Babri Masjid in December, 1992.

A metallurgy engineering graduate from Banaras Hindu University, he pitchforked the organisation in the Ayodhya Ram temple movement and sought to internationalise it by recruiting supporters and organising branches world wide. The overseas supporters contributed immensely to the VHP campaign.

OneIndia News