Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav died of age-related ailments at a private hospital in Gurgaon on Monday. He had been in politics for nearly four decades was about to complete his 83rd birthday on November 22.
The three-time UP CM, seven-time MP, former defence minister and 10-time MLA is survived by two sons - former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav and Pratik Yadav.
Mulayam, or Netaji to his legions of supporters, had been in and out of hospital for the past three years. He was admitted to MedantaThe Medicity in Gurgaon on October 1 for renal complications and was put on life support the following day.
He breathed his last on Monday. “His immunity levels were low. That’s why his kidneys and other organs got infected, leading to life-threatening bloodstream infections. We did our best,” a doctor said.
The UP government has announced three-day state mourning and a state funeral. PM Narendra Modi tweeted, “Shri Mulayam Singh Yadav Ji was a remarkable personality. He was widely admired as a humble and grounded leader who was sensitive to people’s problems. He served people diligently and devoted his life towards popularising the ideals of Loknayak JP and Dr Lohia.”
Born in 1939 in Saifai village of Etawah district to farmer Sughar Singh Yadav and Murti Devi, Mulayam was a wrestling enthusiast and carried skills honed in the akhada to the political arena, especially his “charkha daav” - a deceptive grappling move. He used deception to stop Sonia Gandhi from becoming PM in 1998 and Ajit Singh the CM of UP in 1989.
