Former union minister and Samajwadi Party leader Beni Prasad Verma passed way in Lucknow on Friday. He was 79. "The demise of senior Samajwadi Party leader, Rajya Sabha MP and former Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma is an irreparable loss. Condolences to the bereaved family," Samajwadi Party tweeted. समाजवादी पार्टी के वरिष्ठ नेता, राज्यसभा सांसद एवं पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री आदरणीय बेनी प्रसाद वर्मा जी एवं हम सबके प्रिय 'बाबू जी' जी का निधन अपूरणीय क्षति है। शोकाकुल परिजनों के प्रति संवेदना! शत-शत नमन एवं अश्रुपूर्ण श्रद्धांजलि। — Samajwadi Party (@samajwadiparty) March 27, 2020 समाजवादी पार्टी के संस्थापक सदस्य एवं पूर्व केंद्रीय मंत्री बेनी प्रसाद वर्मा जी ' बेनी बाबू जी ' का निधन अत्यंत दुःखद! परिजनों के प्रति गहरी संवेदना। ईश्वर उनकी आत्मा को शांति प्रदान करे। pic.twitter.com/PukKI0Zi8J — Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) March 27, 2020 A founding member of the SP, Verma was considered close to party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Rajya MP had not been keeping well for past few days. He was admitted to a private hospital in Lucknow, where he died around 7 pm. Verma was the telecom minister between 1996-1998 in then prime minister H D Deve Gowda's cabinet and was the steel minister in the Congress-led UPA government. Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav reached the hospital and condoled his death. Verma is survived by three sons and two daughters.
