President Pranab Mukherjee, Vice President Hamid Ansari, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress chief Sonia Gandhi on Sunday condoled the passing away of Union Labour and Employment Minister Sis Ram Ola, who breathed his last at a Gurgaon hospital after a prolonged illness.
"I am deeply saddened to learn about the passing away of your husband, Shri Sis Ram Ola who was a friend and colleague of long years.... In his death, the nation has lost an eminent leader and social worker who was always in touch with the grassroots of society," Mukherjee said in his condolence message to Ola's wife.
He recalled the immense contribution made by Ola to the nation through long years of service as a senior Congress leader, Parliamentarian and Minister in the Union Government as well as state government of Rajasthan. He said Ola paid particular attention to the education of girls and protection of environment.
"I am deeply saddened at the passing away of Sis Ram Ola, a popular political leader who was intimately connected to the masses," Ansari said.
He said in a long and distinguished public life spanning over five decades, Ola served the people of the country and his home state of Rajasthan with dedication and distinction.
He served as a Member of Lok Sabha and Rajasthan Assembly for several terms, and also as Member of the Union and State Cabinet, the Vice President said.
The Prime Minister also expressed grief at the demise of the 86-year-old Congress leader, who had been suffering from various ailments.
"He was a valued colleague and a dedicated social worker," the PMO said on social networking site Twitter.
The Union Cabinet, of which Ola was a member since June 17, this year, met at the Prime Minister's residence to mourn his death and passed a condolence resolution. It placed on record its appreciation for his services and deep sense of grief and loss at his demise, besides extending condolences to members of his family.
Sonia Gandhi expressed deep grief over Ola's death, saying, "The Congress party, the state of Rajasthan, as indeed the nation, has lost a leader of stature and rare earthy wisdom."
Extending condolences to the bereaved family, Gandhi said Ola was a grassroots leader who fought for the cause of the people and had a solid connect with his constituency, as was reflected by his invincible electoral record.
Singh and the Congress president also visited Ola's residence and offered condolences to the senior Congress leader's family.
Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, who also visited Ola's residence in Delhi, and former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said his death has created a vacuum in state politics.
Union Minister of Railways Mallikarjun Kharge and Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation Girija Vyas expressed profound sorrow and grief.
Vyas said he was a "great champion of women, farmers, soldiers and girl child cause" and termed it as a great loss not just to Rajasthan but also to the country.
Ola will be cremated at his native village in Jhunjhunu district of Rajasthan tomorrow and will be accorded a state funeral.
As a mark of respect for the departed leader, the national flag was flown at half-mast in Delhi and the capitals of states/Union territories today, and tomorrow at the place where the funeral will take place.
A recipient of the Padma Shri award in 1968, Ola started girls education in a remote area in rural Rajasthan with three children in the school known as Indira Gandhi Balika Niketan Ardawata in 1952.
Born on 30 July, 1927, Ola represented the Jhunjhunu constituency of Rajasthan in the Lok Sabha and was a member of the Rajasthan Legislative Assembly from 1957 to 1990, and from 1980 to 1990 he was a cabinet minister in the Government of Rajasthan.
The senior Congress leader is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. Ola was awarded Padma Shri for social work in 1968.
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