Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath‘s father Anand Singh Bisht passed away today morning in Delhi. He was being treated in All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in Delhi. He was admitted on Mar 15 after he had complications in kidney and liver.
Additional Chief Secretary (Home) Uttar Pradesh government Awanish Awasthi said in a statement: “Honourable CM’s father left for his heavenly abode at 10.44 am. Our deepest condolences.”
Yogi’s father used to live in Panchur village of Uttarakhand’s Yamkeshwar area. He had retired as forest ranger from the state Forest Department in 1991. His body has been taken back to the village for last rites. However, Yogi Adityanath would not be attending his funeral due to lockdown. He said in a statement, “I am very saddened to hear the news of my father’s demise. My father has always taught me to be faithful, hardworking and selflessly. I wanted to be with him during his final moments, but could not due to my responsibility to protect Uttar Pradesh’s 23 crore people. I will not be able to attend the funeral programme tomorrow due to the fight against coronavirus. I appeal to my mother and my relatives to follow the lockdown protocols while attending the funeral. I will visit after the lockdown ends.”
It is said that the news of his father breathing his last came to him in the midst of a meeting regarding coronavirus. But Yogi Adityanath stood up only after the meeting was over.
Several political leaders including Smriti Irani and Akhilesh Yadav have offered their condolences. Check out their tweets:
So far, Uttar Pradesh has reported 969 coronavirus cases, including 14 deaths.