BJP holds prayer meeting for Devender Rana; party leaders pay rich tributes

JAMMU: The BJP on Saturday held a special prayer meeting at its party headquarters here for its legislator Devender Singh Rana who passed away on Diwali night.

The ‘shradhanjali sabha’ (tribute meeting) was attended by J&K BJP president Ravinder Raina, working president Sat Sharma, parliamentarians, office bearers, and recently elected members of legislative assembly, a party spokesperson said.

“Rana always played clear-hearted politics with ethics beyond political barriers,” Raina said, fondly speaking of the businessman-turned-politician who had retained the Nagrota assembly segment in the recently concluded elections by a highest margin of over 30,000 votes.

The J&K BJP chief said Rana’s passing was a great loss for both the party and the union territory.

He exhorted the party workers and leaders to follow Rana’s footsteps and learn the art of friendship and make relations with everyone, whether friend or foe.

A prominent entrepreneur and influential politician often described as the “voice of Jammu”, Rana died at a hospital in Haryana’s Faridabad on Thursday night after a brief illness. He was 59.

Political leaders cutting across party lines were among the hundreds of mourners who on Friday gathered here to bid farewell to the BJP MLA.

At BJP’s prayer meeting today, MP Jugal praised Rana for his proactive work despite his ill health.

“With his sheer dedication, Rana made a special niche in the hearts of party workers and common people,” he said.

Rajya Sabha member Ghulam Ali Khatana said, “We have lost a ‘friend of all’,” and prayed for strength to the family members of the departed soul.

Former minister and MLA Sham Lal Sharma referred to his long association of more than 40 years with Rana and said he was not just a political leader but a social figure, who had gained the faith of people irrespective of their region, religion, or gender.

“Such people are very rarely seen in the political field and Rana reached the highest position as a politician by his hard work and pain for the welfare of the masses,” Sharma said adding in his demise, he has suffered a personal loss.

Former deputy chief minister Kavinder Gupta said even when Rana was a member of National Conference, he remained available to members of other parties and readily extended the best possible help.

After joining the BJP in 2021, he made a good impression on his party colleagues through his work and prompt delivery, Gupta said.

Former minister Surjit Singh Salathia, who joined BJP along with Rana, said he was popular in both political and business circles and often went out of way to help people. (PTI)