Tributes have begun to pour in for 3-time Delhi chief minister Shiela Dikshit who passed away in a Delhi hospital this afternoon. Dikshit was 81-years old and was Friday admitted to Fortis Escorts heart institute in a critical state.
Also Read: Sheila Dikshit, three-time chief minister of Delhi, dies at 81
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences while calling Dikshit a “warm and affable personality”.
“Deeply saddened by the demise of Sheila Dikshit Ji. Blessed with a warm and affable personality, she made a noteworthy contribution to Delhi’s development. Condolences to her family and supporters. Om Shanti.” PM tweeted.
Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal termed Dikshit’s death a “huge loss for Delhi”
“Just now got to know about the extremely terrible news about the passing away of Mrs Sheila Dikshit ji. It is a huge loss for Delhi and her contribution will always be remembered. My heartfelt condolences to her family members. May her soul rest in peace. Kejriwal said in a tweet.
Rashtrapati Bhawan’s twitter account carried President Ram Nath Kovind’s tribute to Dikshit. The tweet said Shiela Dikshit will be remembered for “momentous transformation of the capital”.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi called Dikshit “a beloved daughter of the Congress party” and said he shared “a personal bond” with her.
“I’m devastated to hear about the passing away of Shiela Dikshit Ji, a beloved daughter of the Congress Party, with whom I shared a close personal bond. My condolences to her family & the citizens of Delhi, whom she served selflessly as a 3 term CM, in this time of great grief. Rahul’s tweet said.
Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said Sheila Dikshit loved her and her contributions to Delhi and the country will be remembered by people. “Deeply saddened by the demise of Sheila Dikshit Ji. She loved me, whatever she did for Delhi & the country, people will remember it. She was a big leader of party, her contribution towards party, politics of nation & especially to Delhi, is immense. Priyanaka tweeted.
Former PM Manmohan Singh said he was “shocked to hear the sudden passing away of Smt #ShielaDixit” and that the country had “lost a dedicated Congress leader of the masses.”
Fortis Escorts Heart Institute said in a statement that Dikshit was brought to the hospital in a critical condition with cardiac arrest.
“A multi-disciplinary team of doctors, led by Dr Ashok Seth, Chairman, Fortis Escorts Heart Institute, carried out the advanced resuscitative measures. Her condition stabilised temporarily. However, she had another cardiac arrest and despite all the resuscitative efforts, passed away at 3:55pm.” said the statement.
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Mint reported that the three-time Delhi chief minister from Congress, Dikshit had cardiac arrhythmia (irregular heart beat) and had to be immediately put on ventilator, two people aware of the matter confirmed.
Eighty-year-old Sheila Dikshit underwent a heart surgery in France last year. Ashok Seth, chairman of Fortis Escorts Heart institute had advised that the procedure be performed at University Hospital in Lille, France under the care of Dr Thomas Modine.
Sources said Dikshit had been undergoing treatment at Fortis Escorts hospital under the supervision of Dr Seth for the past few years. She had undergone angioplasty in November 2012 and was also treated for infection some time ago.
Dikshit was the longest-serving Chief Minister of Delhi, having served in office for 15 years from 1998.
Also Read: Sheila Dikshit: A political life in ten points
The 81-year-old was appointed as the president of Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee earlier this year, in the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections
Dikshit also served as the governor of Kerala.
First Published:
Jul 20, 2019 16:36 IST
Source: HindustanTimes