“Even today, the untimely passing of Rajeev Satav is hard to accept. His demise has affected the Congress party as much as it has affected the Satav family. Rajeev had two families, one comprised his mother, wife and children and the other was the Congress party. In the first meeting I could see a sparkle in Rajeev, he always did a great job for the party. He successfully held various positions in politics. Rajeev never spoke ill of anyone. When the Congress party had 45 members in the Lok Sabha, he used to do the work of 5-7 people alone. With the demise of Rajeev, I have lost a good colleague and friend. Even if Rajeev has left us, the Congress party will always stand firmly behind his family”, Shri Rahul Gandhi said in an online condolence meeting to pay Shri Satav tributes.
The remembrance meeting was organized by Maharashtra Pradesh Congress committee to pay homage to Rajeev Satav.
Expressing her sentiments, AICC, General Secretary, Smt Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said that she could not believe that she was paying homage to Rajeev. He had a very calm disposition, was loyal to the party; got many important positions in the party on the strength of his work. He always gave priority to party work. I did not think that he would go away at such a young age. He was a dynamic leader. Unfortunately, he lost the battle against Corona. It is sad that a member of our family has passed away with Rajeev’s demise. We pray to god to give strength to the Satav family in this moment of immeasurable grief.
Shri Mallikarjun Kharge, LoP, RS, said, “I still I am unable to accept that one of our young companions left us due to Corona. He was always ready at the call of the party; had trust of the party leadership; was capable of working and he was the future of the next generation in the Congress party. He was the voice of the underprivileged- the source of inspiration for the youth. He started his career at an early age and reached to the national level on the basis of his work. In Parliament, he would raise his voice for the people. He had faith in the ideas of Phule, Shahu and Dr. Ambedkar.
Shri Ghulam Nabi Azad said that the untimely demise of Rajeev Satav was a big shock. We have known Rajeev since he was young. I had a close relationship with his family. His demise has brought down a mountain of grief on the Satav family. His demise has taken a big toll on the party as well as the family.
Shri H. K. Patil said that he was a great leader from Maharashtra who not only made a mark at home but left an impact on national level. He fulfilled perfectly whatever responsibility was given by the party to him. He worked for the country and the party till his last breath. He was committed to the Congress ideology. He was very popular among the masses. His demise is a personal loss to me as well as to the party. Rajeev will always be remembered for his work.
Shri KC Venugopal, GS, Organisation, AICC, said that Rajeev had started his political career from the rural areas and made a different impression on the country. He was also always instrumental in deciding the strategy of the Congress party in Parliament. As the in-charge of Gujarat, he gave great strength to the party. The growing strength of the Congress party in Gujarat is the culmination of Rajeev Satav’s work. It is very sad that Corona took him away from us.
Maharashtra State President Shri Nana Patole said that Rajiv Satav was a great leader as well as the future of the party. Corona untimely took him away from us. He was known as a farmer, a leader fighting for the workers. Rajeev’s demise has taken a heavy toll on the party and me as an individual.
Public Works Minister Shri Ashok Chavan said that he worked with Rajeev Satav in Parliament. He did a great job in Parliament for five years. He used to present scholarly subjects, and on the strength of his own hard work, he reached the national level. Rajeev’s demise is a big shock and a great loss for the party and the satav family.
Shri Sushilkumar Shinde said that Rahul ji and Sonia Gandhi ji always entrusted the responsibility to Rajeev Satav with great faith and he fulfilled that responsibility perfectly and proved the trust of the leadership. He used to raise the issues of deprived and backward communities with great enthusiasm. With his demise we have lost a young leader.
Shri Prithviraj Chavan said that Rajeev Satav served Maharashtra and the country at an early age. He carried out the work of the party in an excellent manner through his positions in the Vidhan Sabha, Lok Sabha, Rajya Sabha and as Incharge of State. While working at the national level, he was constantly striving for development in his own constituency. He was a young dynamic leader. He fought valiantly for the party in the Gujarat Assembly elections. The party had high expectations from him.
Shri Balasaheb Thorat said that Rajeev Satav was a studious young leader and as a member of Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha, he tried to do justice to the issues of the people. He served as Panchayat Samiti member, Zilla Parishad Chairman. Through the Youth Congress, he built a large young force in the party.
Shri Mukul Wasnik said that Rajeev Satav had maturity in his work. He did important work for the party at a young age. With his demise, the Congress lost a great leader.
The meeting was also attended by many prominent leaders including Energy Minister Dr. Nitin Raut, Fisheries Minister Aslam Sheikh, Dairy Development Minister Sunil Kedar, State Working President Chandrakant Handore, Naseem Khan, Vice President Mohan Joshi, Mumbai Congress President Bhai Jagtap, Working President Charan Singh Sapra, Abhijit Vanjari MLA as well as Congress MPs, MLAs among others.