President calls up Punjab CM, condoles his mother’s death

Chandigarh, July 26 (IANS) President Ram Nath Kovind on Wednesday called up Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh to condole his mother Rajmata Mohinder Kaur’s death.

Kovind recalled his stay with the erstwhile royal family at the Moti Bagh Palace in Patiala, about 70 km from here, during his visit to the Punjab city with (the then Prime Minister) Morarji Desai in 1977.

"He (Kovind) remembered the pleasant hospitality offered to him by the erstwhile royal family during their palace stay," a spokesman for the Chief Minister said.

Rajmata Mohinder Kaur passed away in Patiala on Monday evening following age-related problems. She was 94.

Amarinder Singh could not attend the swearing-in of Kovind as the 14th President of India at the Central Hall in Parliament in New Delhi on July 25 due to his mother’s cremation scheduled for that day in Patiala.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also conveyed his sympathies to the Chief Minister and other family members.