India / Former Defence Minister Jaswant Singh passes away aged 82

New Delhi: Former Union Minister and ex-BJP leader Jaswant Singh passed away on Sunday at the age of 82. In 2014, he suffered a serious head injury and was admitted to Army's Research and Referral hospital in Delhi for treatment. He was in a state of coma ever since. 

“It is with profound grief that we inform about the sad demise of Hon’ble Major Jaswant Singh (Retd), former Cabinet Minister of Government of India at 0655 hours on 27 September 2020. He was admitted on 25 Jun 2020 and being treated for Sepsis with Multiorgan Dysfunction Syndrome and effects of Severe Head Injury old (Optd) had a Cardiac arrest this morning,” the hospital said in a statement.

'Saddened by his demise'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter to condole his demise and said that "Jaswant Singh Ji served our nation diligently, first as a soldier and later during his long association with politics." PM Modi recalled that during Atal Bihari Vajpayee's tenure, Jaswant Singh handled crucial portfolios and left a strong mark in the worlds of finance, defence and external affairs.

In another tweet, PM Modi said the veteran politician also contributed to the strengthening of the BJP and he "will always remember" his interactions with the former minister. 

A former officer of the Indian Army, Singh had contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections as an Independent candidate from Barmer district in Rajasthan after he did not get a BJP ticket. He lost to Colonel Sona Ram of the BJP.

Singh served as the Minister for Finance, Minister for Defence and Minister for External Affairs under the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

In 2009, he was was expelled from the saffron party after he praised Muhammad Ali Jinnah in his book Jinnah – India, Partition, Independence. While he was later inducted into the party, he parted ways in 2014.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh tweeted: “Deeply pained by the passing away of veteran BJP leader and former Minister, Shri Jaswant Singh ji. He served the nation in several capacities including the charge of Raksha Mantri. He distinguished himself as an effective Minister and Parliamentarian.”