Former Samajwadi party leader Amar Singh passes away

Former Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh, who was undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore for several months, passed away on Saturday. He was admitted in Singapore's Mount Elizabeth Hospital and Medical Centre for treatment of kidney.

He was diagnosed with a kidney ailment a few years back and was undergoing treatment in Singapore.

Singh, 64, was an Indian politician from the state of Uttar Pradesh who was one of the leaders of Samajwadi Party. He was the former general secretary of the Samajwadi Party and was a member of the Rajya Sabha, the upper house of the Indian Parliament.

Earlier in the day, Amar Singh had extended Eid greetings on Twitter and also paid tributes to freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak on his death anniversary.

Amar Singh and the Bachchans were close family friends till they fell apart nearly a decade ago. Earlier this year, he had sent apology video to Bachchan family from Singapore Hospital after Amitabh Bachchan sent him a message on his father's death anniversary. Singh posted a video on his Facebook page in which he talked about his friendship with Bachchan and their subsequent differences.Defence Minister Rajnath Singh expressed condolences on Amar Singh's death saying that he was saddened to know about the passing away of the senior leader. Remembering the fellow parliamentarian, BJP leader and Rajya Sabah MP Subramanian Swamy said Singh was mostly with SP, however, he made friends across the spectrum of political parties. Senior Congress leader Jairam Ramesh said the Rajya Sabha has just lost one of its most colourful members. "Amar Singh played a key role in the United Front government in '96 and '97 in pushing telecom and petroleum sector reforms. I was his neighbour for quite a few years. Have many fond memories," he said in a tweet. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari also paid tributes to Amar Singh.