Senior BJP leader and Dhamnagar MLA Bishnu Sethi passed away on Monday at the age of 61 years.
Sethi breathed his last while undergoing treatment at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), Bhubaneswar, informed the medical's Additional Superintendant Pravash Ranjan Tripathy.
He was put under intensive care at the premier hospital for the last one month after suffering from kidney complications.
Sethi was serving as the Deputy Leader of Opposition in Odisha Assembly.
According to AIIMS sources, Sethi was suffering from chronic renal problems and was undergoing dialysis.
A month ago, he suffered infection in his lungs and also received a brain stroke following which he was admitted at AIIMS, Bhubaneswar. He had since been undergoing treatment at the ICU of the premier health institution since.
Sethi was a two-time MLA. He was first elected from Chandbali and then from Dhamnagar in 2019.
He held the rank of Vice President in the Odisha BJP unit. A JNU alumni, Sethi had qualified the Odisha Public Service Commission twice.
He was known as a straightforward leader who always went vocal for welfare of people of Odisha on several issues.
As the news of the legislator’s demise broke, tributes and condolences started pouring in. Noted personalities from all walks of life mourned the death of Sethi, terming it as a great loss.
President Droupadi Murmu took to Twitter to mourn the death of the leader from Odisha.
"Saddened by the demise of Shri Bishnu Charan Sethi, a prominent public figure in Odisha. A prolific writer, Shri Sethi was an eminent legislator. His demise leaves a void which is difficult to fill. My heartfelt condolences to his family, well-wishers and followers," Murmu tweeted,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to his Twitter handle to express sympathies over the death of Sethi.
"Shri Bishnu Charan Sethi Ji made an outstanding contribution to Odisha's progress. He distinguished himself as a hardworking legislator and contributed greatly to social empowerment. Saddened by his demise. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti," the Prime Minister wrote in a Twitter post.
Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik expressed sympathies over the death of Sethi in a Twitter post.
Expressing condolence over Sethi's demise, Bharatiya Janata Party’s National Vice President Baijayant Panda said it is an irreplaceable loss to the state BJP.
Odisha Governor Ganeshi Lal and his Andhra Pradesh counterpart Bishwabhusan Harichandan also expressed their deep condolences over the demise of Sethi.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also expressed grief over the passing away of Sethi.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP national president JP Nadda also took to Twitter to mourn the death of Sethi.
Expressing his grief over the death of Sethi, Senior Congress leader Narasingha Mishra said he has lost an intimate co-member. “He was a senior legislator who will be known for his remarkable discussion in the House. Though we were opposing each other in the political sphere, we used to share a bonding. The state has lost a senior leader, social worker, journalist and speaker and the House, a top-class legislator. Once he said in media that he was going to the Assembly only to learn something from Narasingha Mishra which astonished me.”
According to primary information available, the legislator’s mortal remains will be taken to the Legislative Assembly, then to the BJP party office and to his ancestral village for rituals. However, no confirmation has been received as yet.
Senior journalist Akshaya Sahu said Sethi’s demise is a great loss to the state. The void created due to his loss will never be fulfilled. He was a multitalented personality. He was a litterateur, a journalist, an editor; all rolled into one.
“He was an active member of Rashtriya Swyamsevak Sangha (RSS) since his childhood days. Later he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party. He was never known for making any compromise with his style of functioning,” said Sahu
Other leaders including former minister Bijoy Mohapatra, Odisha Assembly Speaker Bikrama Arukha, and senior BJD leader Prasanna Acharya are among others who mourned the death of Sethi.