President Ram Nath Kovind and the Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley called up Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Wednesday to condole the death of his mother Rajmata Mohinder Kaur.
The President expressed his heartfelt sympathies with Capt Amarinder, saying that his thoughts and prayers were with the family in their hour of grief.
Recalling his stay with the family in Moti Bagh Palace during his visit to Patiala along with Morarji Desai in 1977, Kovind remembered the pleasant hospitality offered to him by Rajmata during their palace stay.
Despite being very close to the former Prime Minister late Indira Gandhi, Rajmata had chosen to side with the old guard led by Morarji Desai when the Congress split after Emergency.
She chose to join the Janata Party and was appointed its general secretary. It was during that time, in 1977, when Kovind visited Moti Bagh palace with Morarji Desai.
The Chief Minister, while thanking the President for his condolences, regretted that he could not attend the latter’s swearing-in at the Rashtrapati Bhavan on Tuesday. Capt Amarinder congratulated Kovind on being elected to the high office of President.
Jaitley also expressed his deepest sympathies to the Chief Minister and other members of the family at the tragic loss. He said that he prayed to the Almighty to give them the courage to bear the grief.
The Shiromani Gurudwara Parbandhak Committee (SGPC) president Prof Kirpal Singh Badungar visited Moti Bagh Palace and met Parneet Kaur, Capt Amarinder’s wife, to share his grief with the family.
The antim ardaas of Rajmata Mohinder Kaur will be performed on July 30. The bhog ceremony will be performed at Yadwindra Public School in Patiala.