President Kovind, PM Modi condole demise of former Mauritius President Anerood Jugnauth

President Ram Nath Kovind on Friday condoled the death of former President and Prime Minister of Mauritius, Anerood Jugnauth, calling him a 'visionary leader'.

Taking to Twitter, President Kovind said that his landmark contributions to India- Mauritius relations will always be remembered.

"Deeply saddened to know about the demise of Sir Anerood Jugnauth. A global statesman, a visionary leader, a Padma Vibhushan and an extraordinary friend of India, his landmark contributions to India- Mauritius relations will always be remembered. Om Shanti," he tweeted.

Earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also took to Twitter to condole the demise of Jugnauth, saying that he was the 'architect of modern Mauritius'.

"Padma Vibhushan Sir Anerood Jugnauth, a tall leader & statesman, was the architect of modern Mauritius. A proud Pravasi Bharatiya, he helped forge the special bilateral relationship that will benefit from his legacy. Condolences to his family & the people of Mauritius. Om Shanti," he said in a tweet.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar also paid his respects on Jugnauth's death.

Jugnauth died on Thursday at the age of 91. He was the country's longest-serving Prime Minister with more than 18 years of tenure. He was considered the father of the Mauritian economic miracle of the 1980s.

Jugnauth held the post of Prime Minister between 1982 and 1995, then again between 2000 and 2003, and later between 2014 and 2017, before passing the torch to his son, Pravind Jugnauth, who is the current Prime Minister of Mauritius.

He also served as President of Mauritius from 2003-2012.

( With inputs from ANI )