Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday paid floral tributes to the mortal remains of party veteran Ram Govind Chaudhary at his Lucknow residence while party functionaries and cadres held a condolence meet at SP headquarters and observed two minutes of silence in memory of the socialist leader.An SP veteran and former leader of opposition in Vidhan Sabha, Chaudhary breathed his last at SGPGI on Friday after a prolonged illness.Wrapped in the Samajwadi Party flag, the senior politician’s mortal remains were kept at his Nishatganj residence.Recalling his contribution towards the socialist movement, Akhilesh said Chaudhary belonged to the era when the socialist movement was striving to establish its identity.“He devoted his entire life to the socialist movement. He got associated with the JP movement and worked with Jayaprakash Narain. Then he worked with former Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, Chote Lohia Janeshwar Mishra and SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav to contribute towards strengthening the socialist movement,” Akhilesh said.He added that Chaudhary was known for raising people’s issues, be it by way of agitations on streets or his focused speeches in UP assembly.“He had his own inimitable style of raising issues before the treasury benches in an effective manner and corner govt if issues of public good were not addressed,” Akhilesh recalled.The SP chief said Chaudhary’s death has come as a setback to the socialist movement and an irreparable loss to the Samajwadi Party.“He will always be missed,” the former UP CM said.At the SP headquarters, a condolence meeting was held to pray for the departed soul. The meeting was chaired by Akhilesh, who tabled a condolence resolution. Addressing the gathering, a host of senior party functionaries recalled memorable instances that they had experienced in the company of Chaudhary.“He is known for emphatically voicing the SP’s concerns as Leader of Opposition in UP Assembly at a time when the party did not have even 50 MLAs,” Akhilesh recalled addressing party workers.He outlined Chaudhary’s political journey that started from his student life in his hometown of Ballia and his role in shaping the SP and his active participation in the struggle for social justice.
