Sonia, Azad condole death of former union minister Santosh Mohan Dev

New Delhi, Aug 2:  Congress president Sonia Gandhi and leader of the Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad today condoled the death of Senior Congress Leader and Former Union Minister Santosh Mohan Dev. Expressing her deepest condolences on the passing away of Dev, Ms Gandhi said, ' In a political career spanning five decades, Dev held numerous crucial political assignments in the Congress party and in the Government including that of a Union Cabinet Minister. His immense contribution to build the party in the Northeast, right from the grassroots level would always be remembered.' 'His death is an irreparable loss to the Nation,' she said. Expressing her solidarity with his family and supporters, particularly Congress MP Sushmita Dev, Ms Gandhi prayed for peace of the departed soul. Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad also expressed his heartfelt condolences on the passing away of Dev. "I am deeply saddened by the sad demise of Mr Dev who was a personal friend of mine. I have happy memories of time spent with him. His passing away is a great personal loss for me,' Mr Azad said. Earlier, Mr Azad expressed his deepest sympathies to Ms Bithika Dev, wife of Santosh Mohan Dev and his daughter Sushmita Dev, Congress MP and his daughter. He prayed to Almighty to give strength and courage to his family in this sad moment and also prayed that his departed soul may rest in peace. UNI