Congress veteran Motilal Vora passed away at Delhi's Fortis Escort Hospital on Monday, a day after completing his 93rd birthday.
He was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after complaining of breathing difficulties after a urinary infection but developed severe lung infection and was put on ventilator, his family said. He was discharged from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) on October 16 after recovering from COVID-19.
Earlier, the veteran leader also also admitted at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after contracting corona virus [COVID] but got discharged on October 16 after successfully fighting the diseases.
Tributes poured in from political leaders and dignitaries for the politician who was well known for affable nature. Conveying his condolences, President Ramn Nath Kovind tweeted to say that Mr Vora “was humility personified, and belonged to a generation of leaders who carry their politics with unflinching conviction till end”.
Vice President Venkaiah Naidu described him an “astute administrator, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered him as a leader “with vast administrative and organisational experience in a political career that spanned decades”.
Congress president Sonia Gandhi, in a statement, said Mr Vora’s death has left a huge void in public life and “his life is a shining example of public service unparalleled commitment to the Congress ideology”.
In his condolence message, former Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh called Mr Vora as excellent administrator who, among several roles, had served as the treasurer of the Congress for 16 years.
Former Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, his sister, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, former union ministers P Chidambaram, Jairam Ramesh also offered their tributes.
“Voraji was a true congressman and a wonderful human being. We will miss him very much. My love & condolences to his family and friends,” former Congress president Rahul Gandhi tweeted.
Calling him a symbol of loyalty, dedication and patience towards Congress ideology of Congress, Ms Vadra said,”Voraji was present at every party meeting even at the age of 92 and expressed his views openly on every issue. Today, while bidding him goodbye I feel sad that an elder member of the family has left us”
Starting out as a journalist, Mr Vora occupied several key positions including being the Chief Minister of undivided Madhya Pradesh (MP) twice (1985-88 and 1989), health minister in Rajiv Gandhi’s cabinet and Governor of Uttar Pradesh (UP) in mid-90s.
His role as the Governor of UP was eventful as it was Mr Vora who had recommended Samajwadi Party (SP) patriarch, Mulayam Singh Yadav, as UP CM on June 3, 1995.
This followed the ‘Guest House’ episode when Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati had to lock herself up after SP workers threatened to cause physical harm to her.
Known to be a loyalist of the Gandhi family, Mr Vora served as Congress party’s treasurer for 16 years and represented Chhattisgarh in the Rajya Sabha fr four terms, until this April.
Among the rare breed of senior leaders of the All India Congress Committee (AICC) who would be found in party headquarters with unfailing regularity, Mr Vora was well known for following a simple dictum: never leave behind any paper work when you leave your office for the day.
