Chennai: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday hailed Cho Ramaswamy as a multidimensional personality, towering intellectual, great nationalist and fearless voice who was respected and admired.
“Cho Ramaswamy was insightful, frank & brilliant. Pained by his demise. Condolences to his family & countless readers of Thuglak,” Mr. Modi tweeted. “Cho Ramaswamy was a multidimensional personality, towering intellectual, great nationalist & fearless voice who was respected and admired,” he said.
The Prime Minister in another tweet said while posting a video on his Twitter recalling the 2008 annual Tughlaq event, “the feisty Cho Ramaswamy introduces me as the ‘Merchant of Death.’ Do watch this memorable interaction.”
The video describes the then third time Gujarat Chief Minister as “the merchant of death,” apparently taking a dig at Congress president Sonia Gandhi who had used that term for Modi. “Yes, here I invite to address you, the merchant of death, the merchant of death to terrorism, the merchant of death to corruption, the merchant of death to nepotism, the merchant of death to official inefficiency, the merchant of death to bureaucratic negligence, the merchant of death to poverty and ignorance, the merchant of death to darkness,” Cho says in the video of “Readers Conference” hosted by him.
In the second video of the same function Modi says he had known Cho since the Emergency days as “true democrat.” “His readers’ conference is unique. It requires courage for self-criticism and only a true democrat can do this. Cho is a true democrat. One of my friends in Tamil Nadu used to say that Cho is a Rajaguru,” he said in the video.
Naidu condoles Cho’s demise: I&B Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu condoled the death of journalist Cho Ramaswamy, who he described as a “great patriot, journalist, commentator and nationalist to the core.”
Cho is a fearless critic of all, says Pranab: Condoling the passing away of Cho Ramaswamy, President Pranab Mukherjee said Ramaswamy was admired for his wit and satire. “He was a fearless critic of all that was wrong. Shri Ramaswamy maintained the highest standards of professionalism throughout his life. In recognition of his contribution, he was honoured with many awards, including the B.D. Goenka Award for excellence in journalism,” the President said in his message Cho’s wife Soundara Ramaswamy.
