Sports Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has expressed extreme shock and grief at the sudden demise of Cabinet colleague and Rural Development Minister Gopinath Munde, who passed away here after suffering a cardiac arrest during a road accident early this morning.
In his condolence message, Sonowal stated that the nation has lost a great patriot and a true leader of the masses.
Sonowal, who is also Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Skill Development and Entrepreneurship, also conveyed his deep sorrow to the members of the bereaved family and prayed to the almighty to give them strength at this hour of crisis and tragedy.
64-year-old Munde, the OBC face of BJP in Maharashtra, who made his entry into the Union Cabinet for the first time after the Lok Sabha polls, was on his way to the airport when his car was hit by another vehicle at Prithviraj-Tughlak road roundabout in the heart of the capital.