JOIN USKeeping aside political rivalries, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi made perhaps his first visit to the BJP headquarters here to offer his last respects to Union Minister Gopinath Munde, who died in a car crash on Tuesday.
Gandhi, accompanied by Uttarakhand Chief Minister Harish Rawat, reached the BJP office on 11, Ashoka Road soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi had left the place after offering his last respects to Munde.
Gandhi also exchanged a few words with Parliamentary Affairs Minister M Venkaiah Naidu who was standing near Munde’s body, which lay in state for leaders and workers to pay their tributes.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar, who was often at the receiving end from Munde in state politics, also offered tributes to the departed leader.
Congress President Sonia Gandhi wrote a personal letter to Munde’s family condoling his death. “There are some events in life on which one has no control and one has to bear with them,” Sonia said in a letter to Munde’s wife Pradnya.
Vice President Hamid Ansari also visited the BJP headquarters to pay his respects.
JD (U) President Sharad Yadav also visited the BJP office in the afternoon to pay tributes to Munde.
Yadav, whose party had last year walked out of NDA snapping its 17-year-old ties with the BJP, also wrote a letter to Munde’s wife and conveyed his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family.
Also seen at the BJP office were Bala Nandgaonkar and Shishir Shinde, leaders of the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena led by Shiv Sena renegade Raj Thackeray.
Wreaths were also placed on behalf of President Pranab Mukherjee, former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and a couple of Bangladesh ministers.