Former Union Minister Santosh Mohan Dev passes away in Silchar

Nothing could have prepared me for this moment. I lost him at 6.06am today. Thank you everyone for your prayers, your love for him. pic.twitter.com/1oAobNoCBa

— Sushmita Dev (@sushmitadevmp) August 2, 2017

Dev, a seven-time Congress MP, was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980. He represented Silchar five times and Tripura twice. He was appointed the Heavy Industry Minister in the Manmohar Singh-led UPA-I government. He also served as minister of state for communications from 1986-1988 and MoS for home between 1988-1989. Dev was given independent charge of of the steel ministry under the PV Narasimha Rao government in 1991. Read more about him here.

Describing Dev as a political leader who worked extensively for the welfare of the people, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said he was saddened by his death. “Saddened by the passing away of Shri Santosh Mohan Dev. He was veteran political leader who worked extensively for welfare of people. My thoughts are with the family and supporters of Shri Santosh Mohan Dev in this hour of grief,” he said.

Former President Pranab Mukherjee said he was ‘deeply saddened’ by the death of Dev. “Deeply saddened at the passing away of long time friend and colleague,Shri Santosh Mohan Dev. My condolences to the family,” he said.

Congress President Sonia Gandhi expressed grief over the death of Dev. In a statement, she said, “His immense contribution to build the party in the Northeast, right from the grassroots level would always be remembered.” She added that his death is an irreparable loss to the nation.

INC India, from its official Twitter handle, said, “We condole the demise of Shri Santosh Mohan Dev. A leader of great stature, he will be remembered for his contribution to the people. Our heartfelt condolences to @sushmitadevmp and family during this hard time.”

All India Congress Committee (AICC) general secretary C P Joshi took to Twitter to express his condolences on Wednesday. “My deepest condolences to @sushmitadevmp at the passing away of her Father North East Congress Leader S M Dev. May his soul rest in peace,” he tweeted.

(With inputs from PTI)