PM Modi's mother a role model for all, says Amit Shah expressing sadness

Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday expressed deep sadness over the death of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's mother and said her sacrificial ascetic life will always be remembered.

Modi's mother Hiraben passed away at a hospital in Ahmedabad on Friday. She was 99.

In tweets in Hindi, Shah said he was very sad to know about the demise of the prime minister's mother.

The home minister said a mother is the first friend and teacher of a person's life and the pain of losing a mother is undoubtedly the biggest pain in the world.

"The struggles faced by Hira Ba to nurture the family are a role model for all. Her sacrificial ascetic life will always be in our memory. The entire nation stands with Prime Minister Modi and his family in this hour of grief. The prayers of crores of people are with you (Modi). Om Shanti," he said.

Hiraben, also called Hiraba, lived at Raysan village near Gandhinagar with Modi's younger brother Pankaj Modi. The prime minister regularly visited Raysan and spent time with his mother during his visits to Gujarat.