Mukherjee, Ansari, Modi condole death of Manipur governor

President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday condoled the passing away of Manipur governor Syed Ahmed.

In a condolence message to Ahmed's wife Syed Hasan Tara, the president said: "I am sad to learn about the passing away of Dr. Syed Ahmed. He served the nation with distinction in different capacities during his public life."

President Mukherjee said Ahmed's services to the nation as the governor of Jharkhand and Manipur would always be remembered.

"...I pray to the Almighty to give you and other members of the family strength and courage to bear this irreparable loss," he said.

The vice president in a message said Ahmed was "a leading figure of Maharashtra's political firmament and his departure leaves a large void".

"A humanist, he was dedicated to working for the uplift of the weakest sections of the society. In his capacity as the minister for housing, slum improvement, house repairs and reconstructions in the state government, he worked to address the issues facing the homeless and the slum dwellers in Maharashtra," he said.

The vice president also said that Syed had a special role in the advancement and welfare of minorities in India, particularly in Maharashtra.

"He was also a scholar, having written on topics as diverse as revolutionary poetry to the role of Muslims in India's freedom struggle," he added.

Prime Minister Modi, who is presently in the US, in a message said: "Syed Ahmed was an experienced leader who held many positions in his long political career. Saddened by his demise. Rest in Peace."

Ahmed breathed his last at the Lilavati Hospital in Mumbai on Sunday morning. He was 70. He is survived by his wife, two daughters and a son.