Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmkh who died today a Chennai had a equal impression in the minds of both Politicians and Bollywood Celebrities. Coincidentally he was the father of Bollywood Superstar Riteish Deshmukh. Both Political Clan and Bollywood is mourning his sad demise. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called him a “trusted colleague” and condoled his death
“He was a trusted colleague and an able administrator who worked at panchayat, state and central levels with admirable dedication,” he said in a statement.
Political leaders remembered Deshmukh as an amiable, warm-hearted leader who had the cause of farmers and youth as his primary focus.
“It is a very sad news. He was warm-hearted and cheerful and always ready for helping (others). He had a vision for Maharashtra and was equally concerned about farmers and youngsters,” said Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Prakash Javadekar.
Minister of State for Science and Technology Ashwani Kumar said Deshmukh was a great human being and had a a great ability to connect with people.
“He was very unwell. We were hoping for his recovery. I am saddened, shocked,” said Ashwani Kumar, who worked as deputy to Deshmukh in the science and technology ministry.
Samajwadi Party MP Jaya Bachchan said it was “very unfortunate to lose such a promising leader at a young age”.
She said Deshmukh’s son Riteish “was very, very close” to her family.
Janata Dal-United (JD-U) leader Sharad Yadav said Deshmukh’s demise had caused a lot of pain.
“He had a long journey in public life. He was a big leader, a wise leader. He knew all parts of Maharashtra very well. It is great loss for the country and big loss for Maharashtra,” said Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Praful Patel.
Leaders from Maharashtra including Governor K. Sankaranarayanan, Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan, Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, and Republican Party of India (RPI) chief Ramdas Athawale also condoled Deshmukh’s death.
The Bollywood fraternity wished peace to the departed soul and strength to the late minister’s family, including his actor-son Riteish.
Madhuri Dixit, Karan Johar, Bipasha Basu, Dia Mirza and Raveena Tandon extended condolences to the bereaved family through Twitter.
Shah Rukh Khan also expressed grief over the sudden demise of Deshmukh and remembered him as a “wonderful” gentleman.
“I’m feeling very sorry. I have known him (Vilasrao) for years. Riteish is a close friend of mine. I spoke to him. I am very sad, it is very unexpected,” he said on the sidelines of an event here.