Sonia Gandhi said Sheila Dikshit served the Congress with "courage and loyalty till the end"

Highlights Sonia Gandhi wrote a letter to Sheila Dikshit's children

She praised Sheila Dikshit's dedication to "transform" Delhi

Sheila Dikshit died of a cardiac arrest at the age of 81 in Delhi

UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi wrote a heartfelt letter to former Delhi chief minister Sheila Dikshit's children condoling the death of the veteran leader.

Ms Gandhi, in her letter to Sandip and Latika Dikshit, spoke of her relationship with their mother and praised her dedication to "transform" Delhi. She had on Saturday visited Sheila Dikshit's residence to pay her tributes. Her body has been kept at her residence in Delhi's Nizamuddin.

Sonia Gandhi also spoke of her husband Rajiv Gandhi's regard for Sheila Dikshit in the letter and said she had a "close relationship" with her.

"I came to share my husband's regard for Sheilaji & to value her very special gifts as I developed my own close relationship with her," the letter read.

She went on to add that they worked together closely while Sheila Dikshit was chief minister of Delhi and the national capital region's party chief.

Praising Sheila Dikshit on her "tremendous achievements", Sonia Gandhi said her legacy was how she transformed Delhi and made it a better place to live in.

"She worked with such vision and dedication to transform Delhi, to make it a much better place to live in for all its citizens, including the poorest, and that tremendous achievement remains her lasting legacy," the letter read.

She ended the letter by saying Sheila Dikshit served the Congress with "courage and loyalty till the end" and wished that her children find strength to bear the loss.

Read the letter here:

UPA Chairperson Smt Sonia Gandhi writes to Shri Sandeep Dikshit & Latika condoling the passing of Smt Sheila Dikshit pic.twitter.com/q5VwhfhsPf — Congress (@INCIndia) July 20, 2019

Sheila Dikshit's son Sandeep Dikshit is also a Congress leader who was a parliamentarian from Delhi. He condoled his mother's death and told news agency ANI, "The pain of losing a mother cannot be erased. Whenever people will talk of a developed and growing Delhi, Sheilaji's name will be remembered."

Sonia Gandhi's children, Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi too expressed their condolences on Sheila Dikshit's death. Condolences poured in for the veteran Congress leader from across the country including that of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, President Ram Nath Kovind and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal.

Sheila Dikshit died of a cardiac arrest on Saturday at a Delhi hospital at the age of 81.

She had served as Delhi's chief minister for three consecutive terms between 1998 and 2013. She was succeeded by Aam Aadmi Party's Arvind Kejriwal.

Her body will be moved to the Congress headquarters today from her house before her last rites are performed at 2.30 pm.