Former Union Minister Sharad Yadav passes away

Veteran socialist Sharad Yadav passed away at a hospital in Haryana's Gurugram, near Delhi, on Thursday, after ailing for the past few months. He was 75.

Survived by his wife, a daughter and a son, he was brought to Fortis Memorial Research Institute in Gurugram by his family to the emergency ward in an unconscious and unresponsive state.

"On examination, he did not have any pulse or recordable blood pressure. He underwent CPR as per ACLS protocols. Despite best efforts, he could not be revived and was declared dead at 10.19 PM," the statement from the hospital said.

First elected to Lok Sabha in 1974, Yadav was a staunch socialist who was a prominent face in the Janata Dal parivar. He was elected to Lok Sabha seven times and to Rajya Sabha thrice.

He was disqualified from Rajya Sabha after he parted ways with Nitish Kumar when JD(U) walked away from the secular Grand Alliance. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, he unsuccessfully contested on an RJD ticket.

Yadav was always in the midst of Janata Dal politics and even split from it to form JD(U). However, he lost the pole position after Nitish Kumar merged his Samata Party, which was founded by George Fernandes.

Though he stood steadfast with Nitish when JD(U) joined hands with BJP and later came out to join hands with RJD and Congress, he refused to toe Nitish's line when he returned to the NDA fold, which led to Yadav losing his Rajya Sabha seat after a protracted legal battle.

A top Opposition leader, his official residence as an MP was the epicentre of many meetings of Opposition leaders during the Narendra Modi regime.

An electrical engineer, Yadav was a staunch JP movement leader but in 1979 when the Janata Party split, he sided with Charan Singh.

During his political career, he was accused in the hawala scam but the charges were dismissed by the Supreme Court.

After his split with Nitish, he formed Loktantrik Janata Dal (LJD) but it did not work as he expected.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted, "pained by the passing away of Sharad Yadav-ji. In his long years in public life, he distinguished himself as MP and Minister. He was greatly inspired by Dr Ram Manohar Lohia’s ideals. I will always cherish our interactions. Condolences to his family and admirers. Om Shanti."

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said he was saddened by the demise of Yadav, a senior leader of the socialist stream of the country and former JDU president. "Serving the country as a former Union Minister and an outstanding Parliamentarian for decades, he strengthened the politics of equality," he said.

CPI(M) General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, who shared a warm relationship with Yadav, said he was very shocked by the sudden departure of Yadav. “He stood for the basic values of the country till his last moment: common heritage and social justice - these were the campaigns very close to Sharad ji's heart. He was our friend and colleague for a long time. Heartfelt condolences to the family and all loved ones,” he said.