By IANS,
New Delhi : Prime Minister Manmohan Singh Saturday condoled the death of former cabinet minister Ajit Panja, describing him as a prominent leader who served the country with distinction as a minister.
“Panja was a prominent leader of our country. He had the distinction of representing the people in parliament for six terms. He served the country with distinction as minister in the government of India, holding a number of key portfolios,” the prime minister said in his condolence message.
Panja, 72, died of cancer at a private hospital in Kolkata early Friday.
“He was a man of the arts and his impressive performance as Shri Ramakrishna Paramahansa in the play ‘Nati Binodini’ earned him recognition and admiration at the national level.
“In his death the country has lost a well known personality whose contribution to our public life would be long remembered,” Manmohan Singh said.
Panja was a minister in the governments of Rajiv Gandhi, P V Narasimha Rao and Atal Bihari Vajpayee and held key portfolios including that of information and broadcasting.