Veteran journalist and former member of Rajya Sabha, Rajnath Singh `Surya’, passed away on Thursday morning after prolonged illness. He was 80.
According to his family members, the leader passed away at around 05:30 hours at his residence.
Singh was closely associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) from his childhood days and went on to become its pracharak.
He possessed the inimitable style of reporting, particularly political and criminal stories. He had worked with prestigious dailies like Aaj, Dainik Jagran and was even editor Swatantra Bharat. He started his career from the RSS managed news agency ‘Hindustan Samachar’.
Lately, he became a columnist. Surya’s write-ups and columns were regularly seen in different prominent newspapers on the current affairs and other issues. He also wrote editorials for some newspapers.
He was having a good relationship with top leaders of the Uttar Pradesh cutting across political lines.
Surya was Rajya Sabha member from Uttar Pradesh from 1996 to 2002.
As the leader had donated his body to the King George’s Medical University, the body was taken in a grand procession to the medical university where senior officials received it.
UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, along with several other leaders of Bharatiya Janata Party rushed to the leader’s Gomti Nagar residence to pay their last respects to the departed soul.
Yogi Adityanath expressed his deepest condolences on the demise of the leader.
“Rajnathji was a colossus in the area of journalism and his demise is a great loss to the state and the country,” the Chief Minister said.
Governor Ram Naik and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav also condoled the death of the veteran journalist.
UP Legislative Assembly Speaker Hriday Narayan Dixit, BJP state chief and Union minister Mahendra Nath Pandey and BJP general secretary (organisation), UP, Sunil Bansal also expressed grief over Singh’s death.
The Indian Federation of Working Journalists deeply condoled the death of Rajnath Singh ‘Surya’. “IFWJ stands with the bereaved family of veteran journalist in the hour of their grief and prays to the God Almighty to his soul eternal peace in heaven,” IFWJ secretary Pramand Pandey said.
