The Hindu : National : Kalam, Shekhawat, Sonia pay tributes

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Thursday, May 26, 2005

National

National

Kalam, Shekhawat, Sonia pay tributes

Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI: President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee and United Progressive Alliance chairperson Sonia Gandhi have condoled the death of Union Sports Minister Sunil Dutt, describing him as a great actor and a compassionate human being.

All political parties and the Union Cabinet have expressed profound sorrow on the sudden and untimely demise of Sunil Dutt and paid rich tributes to his life-long commitment to secularism and immense contribution to cinema as an actor and director. The national flag flew at half-mast at all Government offices and buildings.

"I was shocked to learn about the sudden and untimely demise of Sunil Dutt. He had made many significant contributions in the fields of art and public life," Mr. Kalam, who is in St. Petersburg, Russia, on an official visit, said in a message.

Champion of peace

Describing Sunil Dutt as a champion of peace and brotherhood, Mr. Shekhawat said he was a multi-faceted personality who excelled in every field. "Life for Sunil Dutt was a mix of triumphs, misfortunes, agonies and ecstasies, yet he never lost his calmness and dealt with every situation triumphantly. From the 1962 China war to the Kargil conflict, he always went enthusiastically to the border and shared experiences with valiant jawans," he said in a message.

Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee recalled Sunil Dutt's contribution as a committed Parliamentarian and responsible Minister. "Sunil Dutt represented the best in Indian culture and was a gentleman to the core. He was a very sincere friend to all who came to know him. A man of great amiability, humaneness and concern for the vulnerable sections of the society, Sunil Dutt will be missed by one and all," Mr. Chatterjee said in a message from U.K.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi said the death of Sunil Dutt came as a terrible shock. "He was above all a terrific human being," she said. Describing him as an inspiration to all, she recalled how he had enthused "us all during the commemoration of the Dandi March" earlier this year.

Ms. Gandhi remembered the actor-turned-politician as a man who stood by her mother-in-law Indira Gandhi when she was out of power.

Several senior Cabinet Ministers, including Natwar Singh, Mani Shankar Aiyar, Lalu Prasad and Sharad Pawar recalled Mr. Dutt's passion to help the needy.

The CPI(M) Polit Bureau and the CPI said that in the death of Sunil Dutt the country had lost a talented artiste and a prominent social worker.

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