Sonia, Advani, Jaitley condole Scindia's death

new delhi: congress president sonia gandhi and home minister l k advani were among the top leaders who visited the safdarjung residence of madhav rao scindia immediately after the news of his death in a plane crash. besides gandhi and advani, delhi chief minister sheila diskhit and senior bjp leader narendra modi, minister for law, justice and company affairs arun jaitley were among the host of political leaders who had visited the residence of the departed leader.meanwhile, his son, who was away in mumbai was arriving here on sunday evening. leaders cutting across party lines on sunday expressed shock over scindia's death saying in his death the nation had lost a dynamic young leader. party colleague from madhya pradesh and veteran leader arjun singh said for the congress party it was an irreparable loss. "i had the privilege to work with him for the last twenty five years and fondly remember his grace and concern for others," he said. union human resources minister murli manohar joshi said he was deeply grieved at the tragic and untimely death of scindia. railway minister nitish kumar said scindia was a very popular leader and an able administrator during his tenure as railway minister. he was able to impart a distinctive work culture and a new dynamism in the functioning of the indian railways. health and family welfare minister c p thakur said the country had lost a dynamic leader who fought for the weaker sections. former prime minister h d deva gowda while condoling the death of senior congress leader madhavrao scindia said, "though he hailed from a royal family, he was a people's man in every sense. he devoted his life for their welfare". he also condoled the death of the journalists present on board with the former union minister. parliamentary affairs minister pramod mahajan said the untimely death of scindia was a personal loss to me as he was one my closest friends. "his ability and skills as an administrator, public figure and parliamentarian caught the image of the youth of the country," mahajan said, adding scindia would always be remembered for steering modernisation programmes of railways. bjp president jana krishnamurthy termed scindia's death as a great loss to the public life of india and much more to the congress party. "he was fast emerging as a frontline leader of not only congress but of the whole political arena of the country." union minister of state for external affairs omar abdullah said: "scindia was a great visionary and a perfect leader of the youth of this country." samajwadi party president mulayam singh yadav said: "scindia's death is a personal loss to me as i always admired him for his political maturity and acumen." jammu and kashmir chief minister farooq abdullah said, "destiny has snatched a promising political stalwart from us in the prime of his youth." terming scindia's death as a shocking tragedy, home minister l k advani said he was a promising leader and a distinguished parliamentarian. "in his death, i have lost a personal friend," he said. information and broadcasting minister sushma swaraj said scindia had all the qualities of a leader. lok sabha speaker g m c balayogi said scindia was a charismatic leader, an administrator and a veteran parliamentarian and his death was an irreparable loss to the nation. he also condoled the death of four journalists who died along with him in the air crash. maharashtra chief minister vilasrao deshmukh said, "it is an irreparable loss to congress and i have lost a close friend." mpcc chief govindrao adik described the late leader as an able statesman and administrator and said the void created by his death would be difficult to fill. madhya pradesh chief minister digvijay singh said scindia was an able administrator and a politician of great stature. congress had great expectations from scindia who was a source of strength for madhya pradesh, singh said, adding: "his untimely demise is an irreparable loss to congress and the country." punjab chief minister parkash singh badal said: "the country has lost a farsighted leader who always upheld democratic values." haryana chief minister o p chautala said nation had been deprived of the services of scindia. petroleum minister ram naik said scindia was among a few congress leaders who were hope of the people in the present day politics. former union minister and senior congress leader s b chavan said, "scindia's death is an an irreparable loss to congress." assam chief minister tarun gogoi said: "the untimely death of scindia has created a void in national politics. the country has lost a dedicated and charismatic leader who was liked by one and all." himachal pradesh chief minister prem kumar dhumal said scindia was a talented leader and was known for his far-sightedness. his death had abruptly ended a promising political career, he said. union consumer affairs minister shanta kumar said scindia was one of the tallest leaders in congress and commanded great respect. bihar governor v c pande and chief minister rabri devi said: "we are shocked to know about the tragedy in which scindia and others have died in a plane crash." senior congress leader pranab mukherji said scindia's death had created a void which would be difficult to fill. veteran cpi-m leader jyoti basu said scindia was known to him for a long time. "i have discussed different political issues with him. his accidental death is a shock to me," basu said.