Rahul condoles death of former Union Minister LP Shahi

New Delhi : Congress President Rahul Gandhi on Saturday offered condolences on the death of former union minister and party veteran Laliteshwar Prasad Shahi.

"The loss of Shri L P Shahi, freedom fighter, former Union Minister & CWC Member will be felt by all of us in the Congress Party. My thoughts and prayers are with his family in their time of grief. May his soul rest in peace," he tweeted.

Earlier in the day, 98-year-old Shahi passed away at Delhi's All India Institutes of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) after a prolonged illness.

In 1980, Shahi was elected as a Member of the Legislative Assembly after defeating Jai Narain Prasad Nishad of the Janata Party. In 1984, he became Member of Parliament from Muzaffarpur, and also served as the education and culture minister.

Moreover, Shahi's son Hemant was Member of Legislative Assembly from Vaishali, while his daughter-in-law, Veena Shahi, was the co-operative minister of Bihar.

Meanwhile, the Congress President also condoled the death of former Goa party chief, Shantaram Naik.

"I'm sorry to hear about the passing away of Shri Shantaram Naik, former Goa Congress Chief, MP and senior Congress leader, who played an important role in the battle for Goa's statehood. My condolences to his family in their time of grief. May his soul rest in peace," he tweeted.

The 72-year-old died after suffering a heart attack earlier in the day at a hospital in Margao, Goa Pradesh Mahila Congress President Pratima Coutinho told ANI.