Former SP leader and RS MP Amar Singh dies at 64

Thousands without heat, water after tornadoes kill dozens

New Delhi:

Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh has died in Singapore where he was undergoing treatment.

Singh, 64, had undergone kidney transplant in 2011 and was not keeping well for a long time.

“Saddened to know about the death of senior leader and parliamentarian Amar Singh,” Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted.

Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav too expressed his condolences.

Reacting to Amar Singh’s death, Rajya Sabha Chairperson and Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu in a message said, “I pay my homage to the untimely demise of Shri Amar Singh. I express my condolences to his family members in this time of sorrow and pray that his soul rests in peace.”

Earlier in the day, the former Samajwadi leader had posted messages on Twitter, paying tributes to Bal Gangadhar Tilak on his 100th death anniversary and also wishing people on Eid.

Amar Singh was elected to the Rajya Sabha for the first time from Uttar Pradesh in 1996 and got re-elected in 2003. He came into prominence in India’s political circles in late 1990s, particularly after his ‘chance’ meeting with Samajwadi Party founder and president Mulayam Singh Yadav in a flight.