New Delhi, April 25: Vice President M Hamid Ansari and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh led the nation in paying homage to the departed spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba, calling him an inspiration for the people of the country.
The Baba’s “words and actions have lit the lamp of love in the hearts of devotees. His message of service to humanity as service to God and as a means of destroying narrow- mindedness is of eternal relevance,” Ansari said.
He was “an inspiration to people of all faiths,” Prime Minister Manmohan Singh said, adding that his passing away was an “irreparable loss to all.”
UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi said she was greatly pained over the death of Sathya Sai Baba. “The news of the death of Sai Baba of Puttaparthi has greatly pained me. He was a spiritual person in whom lakhs of people had faith. In his lifetime, he inspired the people of this country and those abroad towards spiritualism and religion,” she said.
Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed grief over the demise of Sai Baba and recalled the “unparalleled services rendered by him to the humanity in myriad ways which are beyond description.”
“Sri Sai Baba is a symbol of love, affection and passion. Sri Sathya Sai Baba has given his great self to service of humanity in the form of various services not only to our State, our country but also to the entire world, he will be remembered for ages to come by all sections of people all over the world,” he added.
BJP leaders LK Advani and Nitin Gadkari, in separate messages, expressed their profound grief and sorrow at the passing away of the Baba. Advani said in modern times stalwarts like Swami Ramakrishna Paramhans, Swami Vivekananda, Swami Dayanand and Mahatma Gandhi are reckoned as ideals for the country and of the titans in the spiritual field in present day India, few have had the phenomenal following that the Baba had.
Gadkari, who condoled the Baba’s death on his behalf and that of BJP, said, “The departure of such a great cultural and social icon of global fame from the spiritual world has left a void which will remain unfulfilled for a long time to come.”
AIADMK chief J Jayalalithaa also expressed grief and said Sri Sathya Sai Baba has rendered service through numerous educational institutions and hospitals for half a century now and his demise was a great loss for humanity.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said, “Baba showed the path of spiritual awakening and inspired people through his service to the poor and distressed. The path shown by Baba would continue to guide mankind.”
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and DMK chief M Karunanidhi expressed grief and said the spiritual leader had showered love on him though he is an atheist. Karunanidhi recalled that Sai Baba had voluntarily visited him at his residence in 2007 and contributed over Rs 200 crore for water supply to Chennai when many State Governments were not ready to release water to the city.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi condoled the death of spiritual leader Sathya Sai Baba and said, “He (Sai Baba) was a great man who dedicated his life to provide water and education to the rural areas and medical services to the humanity. In the world of spiritual leaders, he was unique — who without wondering around the world, attracted it towards Indian culture. I pay my tributes to sacred Sathya Sai Baba on his nirvana”.
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed profound grief and said the Godman’s death was an irreparable loss to the society and his sermons will continue to guide and inspire the people.
——–PTI