Headlines
Modi to attend Lee's funeral, Mukherjee pays homage
Prime Minister Narendra Modi will attend the funeral of former Singapore
prime minister and its founding father Lee Kuan Yew on March 29, it was
announced on Tuesday.
Lee died on Monday after a prolonged
battle with pneumonia. President Pranab Mukherjee and Modi paid their
homage on behalf of India.
In a condolence letter to Singaporean
President Tony Tan Keng Yam on Tuesday, Mukherjee described Lee as a
"genuine" friend of India who would "long be remembered for laying the
strong foundation of the excellent cooperation" between the two
countries.
Describing the departed leader as a "far-sighted
statesman" and a "lion among leaders", Modi in his condolence message
said: "Lee's life teaches valuable lessons to everyone".
"News of his demise is saddening," Modi tweeted earlier.
Condolence
messages poured in from across the political spectrum on Monday for the
leader who went from being a sharp critic of India initially to one of
its strongest admirers towards later years.
Calling him a builder
of the modern and multi-ethnic Singapore, Congress president Sonia
Gandhi said: "He belonged to the league of Asian statesmen who
successfully carried forward the task of nation building."
DMK
president M. Karunanidhi lauded Lee for giving Tamil an official status
in Singapore while the Andhra Pradesh assembly observed two minutes'
silence in Lee's honour.
Known as the founding father of modern
Singapore who led the country as premier for over three decades until
1990, Lee is also credited with making the island nation the most
prosperous in Southeast Asia.