Jalandhar, 10 September (H.S.): Former Punjab Cabinet Minister and senior BJP leader Bhagat Chunni Lal, father of Punjab Cabinet Minister Mohinder Bhagat, passed away on Thursday morning. He breathed his last at his residence in the Basti area of Jalandhar at the age of 93. His death has led to an outpouring of grief in political and social circles. His last rites will be performed at around 5 pm on Thursday at the Basti Sheikh cremation ground. BJP leader Sheetal Angural and several other political leaders have expressed condolences on his demise.

Bhagat Chunni Lal was born on December 1, 1932, in Sialkot, now in Pakistan. His father was Mahanga Ram and his mother was Rukmani Devi. His wife, Sheela Devi, had passed away earlier. Following the Partition, his family settled in Jalandhar. Before entering politics, he was associated with the sports goods business and was involved in the export of sports equipment. He is survived by four sons and four daughters. His son Mohinder Bhagat is currently a minister in the Punjab government.

Bhagat Chunni Lal began his electoral journey in 1985 when he contested the Jalandhar South Assembly seat as an independent candidate. He could not win the election. He later joined the BJP and became active in party politics. In 1997, he contested from Jalandhar South on a BJP ticket and won the election, entering the Punjab Legislative Assembly for the first time.

In 2007, he retained the Jalandhar South seat and was elected to the Assembly for a second time. Following delimitation, the constituency was reorganised and the Jalandhar West Assembly seat came into existence. In the 2012 Punjab Assembly elections, Bhagat Chunni Lal contested from Jalandhar West as a BJP candidate and registered another victory, becoming an MLA for the third time.

During his political career, Bhagat Chunni Lal held several important positions. In 2011, following the resignation of then Deputy Speaker Satpal Gosain, he was elected Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Legislative Assembly. After the 2012 elections, he became a cabinet minister in the Shiromani Akali Dal-BJP government led by Parkash Singh Badal and remained in the Cabinet from 2012 to 2017. He handled portfolios including Local Bodies, Medical Education and Research, Labour, and Forests and Wildlife.

From 2012 to 2017, Bhagat Chunni Lal also served as the BJP Legislature Party leader in the Punjab Assembly. He remained an influential political figure in Jalandhar West for several years and was counted among the prominent BJP leaders of the region. After a long political career spanning several decades, he decided to retire from electoral politics in 2017 and did not contest the Assembly elections that year.

His death has cast a pall of gloom over his family as well as the political and social circles of Jalandhar. His last rites will be held at the Basti Sheikh cremation ground at around 5 pm on Thursday.

Hindusthan Samachar / GURSHARAN SINGH