Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda described Union Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, who died today, as a development oriented leader and a multi-faceted personality, while expressing grief over his untimely death. In a condolence message, Darda said that in the death of Deshmukh he had lost a close friend and would miss the “ever-smiling” leader. “He had a comprehensive vision of all-round development of Maharashtra. He paid equal attention to the development of Marathwada and Vidarbha along with the development of Mumbai and Maharashtra,” Darda said in a statement issued by him. Darda said the Maharashtrian leader shared good rapport with all including those from the opposition. “Apart from Congress, he had good rapport with opposition parties. When Parliament came to know about the fatal disease he was suffering from, I could see that everybody was pained,” he said. Speaking of Deshmukh’s political career, Darda said the leader had possessed a matured administrative vision which could be seen in the way he handled several Union ministries in Delhi. “He was the most successful leader who could convey the view point of Congress to educated urbanites as well as rural masses. His speeches were laced with humour and showed his scholarship. Moreover, his criticism did not have trace of animosity,” he said. Describing the Maharastrian leader as quick-witted who disarmed everyone with his simple smile, Darda said personalities like Deshmukh are rare.
