Headlines
Tributes pour in for Kalam; all recall contribution to nation
New Delhi, July 27
President Pranab Mukherjee
and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday led the nation in paying
respects to former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, who rose from humble
beginnings to become one of India's leading scientists and later a
hugely popular president.
Leaders from across the political
spectrum, including Congress president Sonia Gandhi, BJP president Amit
Shah and Lok Janshakti Party president and union minister Ram Vilas
Paswan paid their tributes to Kalam who was president in 2002-07.
Home Minister Rajnath Singh was among the first to pay his tributes.
Officials said a meeting of the union cabinet would be held on Tuesday to pay formal condolences to Kalam.
Leaders
including Vice President Hamid Ansari, Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra
Mahajan and former prime minister Manmohan Singh recalled their personal
association with Kalam.
Kalam breathed his last at 7.45 p.m. at
Bethany Hospital where he was rushed to from the IIM-Shillong where he
was delivering a lecture.
President Mukherjee said the death of Bharat Ratna Kalam was "a deep personal loss".
He said Kalam was "a people's president" during his lifetime and will remain so even after his death.
"As
president of India, Dr. Kalam was immensely popular and greatly
admired. His warmth, humility and simple ways endeared him to one and
all. He had a special love for children and sought to constantly inspire
the youth of our country through motivational speeches and personal
interaction," the president said.
He said Kalam will be long
remembered for his passion for science and innovation and his
contributions as an eminent scientist, administrator, educationist and
writer.
"In his passing away, we have lost a great son of India
who dedicated his entire life for the welfare of the motherland and its
people," he said.
In his message, Modi said: "India mourns the
loss of a great scientist, a wonderful president and above all an
inspiring individual."
Modi said he learnt a lot from Kalam. "My
mind is filled with so many memories, so many interactions with him.
Always marvelled at his intellect, learnt so much from him."
Modi
said Kalam enjoyed being with people. "People and youngsters adored
him. He loved students and spent his final moments among them."
Sonia Gandhi said Kalam was "one of the greatest scientific minds and a scholar statesman" and one of India's iconic leaders.
Manmohan Singh, who worked with Kalam as prime minister, said he greatly benefited from the advice of the late leader.
"In
his death, our country has lost a great human being who made phenomenal
contribution to the promotion of self reliance in defence technologies.
I worked very closely with Dr. Kalam as Prime Minister and I greatly
benefitted from his advice as President of our country.
"His life and work will be remembered for generations to come," he said.
Rahul
Gandhi said Kalam was a man of many parts -- a scientist, an inventor, a
visionary thinker and a teacher. "He will be missed dearly and
remembered fondly by every Indian."
Bharatiya Janata Party leader L.K. Advani said Kalam "served Mother India literally until the last breath".
Union
ministers Najma Heptullah, Piyush Goyal, Prakash Javadekar, M. Venkaiah
Naidu and Nitin Gadkari, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav,
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa, and Kerala Chief Minister
Oomm