New Delhi: Senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Ashok Singhal died at a hospital in Gurgaon near Delhi today.
The 89-year-old leader was admitted to the Medanta Medicity Hospital in the city on November 13 in critical condition. He was suffering from respiratory problems for over a month.
In a message posted on Twitter, PM Narendra Modi has said “The demise of Ashok Singhal ji is a deep personal loss. He was an institution in himself, whose life was centred around serving the nation.”
The VHP is an affiliate of the BJP’s ideological mentor the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh or the RSS.
Mr Singhal was at the forefront of the VHP’s campaign for a Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya where the Babri Masjid was demolished on December 6, 1992.
Mr Singhal was earlier admitted to Medanta on October 20 after his condition deteriorated. He was flown in to Delhi from Allahabad in an air ambulance. He was discharged on November 11, NDTV reported.