Voice of socialist ideas has fallen silent today: Sonia Gandhi on Mulayam Singh's demise

New Delhi: Congress president Sonia Gandhi on Monday said the voice of socialist ideas has fallen silent with the demise of Samajwadi Party leader Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Yadav (82) died on Monday at a hospital in Gurugram after prolonged illness.

As the defence minister of the country and the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, the contribution of Yadav will remain unforgettable, Gandhi said in her message.

"More than that, his struggle for the oppressed and downtrodden will always be remembered," she said.

Whenever there was a need to protect the constitutional values ​​of the country, the Congress has always got his support, she added.

Yadav was hospitalised since August and was shifted to the Intensive Care Unit of the Medanta Hospital on October 2.

Born on November 22, 1939 into a farming family in Saifai near Etawah in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav spawned the state's most prominent political clan.