Former Union minister Harmohan Dhawan dies in Mohali at 83
As per family members, Dhawan developed some infection a few days ago and also underwent surgery; he had suffered a fracture in his shoulder around three months back and had not been keeping well ever since
Former Union minister Harmohan Dhawan passed away at a private hospital in Mohali on Saturday evening. He was 83.
As per family members, he developed some infection a few days ago and also underwent surgery at the hospital. He had suffered a fracture in his shoulder around three months back and had not been keeping well ever since.
The body was taken to his residence in Sector 9, Chandigarh.
“Dhawan was brought to the emergency wing in a critical condition on Saturday. The patient was attended to by a multi-disciplinary team of internal medicine, urology and cardiology doctors. Unfortunately, despite best efforts, including CPR to revive him after a cardiac arrest this evening, the patient passed away,” spokesperson of Max Hospital said in an official statement.
The cremation will be held at the Sector 25 cremation ground at 3 pm on Sunday.
Elected to the Lok Sabha from Chandigarh in 1989 on a Samajwadi Janata Party ticket, Dhawan went on to become the Union civil aviation minister in prime minister Chandra Shekhar’s cabinet.
In 1990, Dhawan switched to the Congress, but did not stay there for long due to differences with former Union minister Pawan Bansal. He floated his own party, Chandigarh Vikas Manch, and contested the 2004 Lok Sabha elections from Chandigarh, but lost.
Again in 2007, he moved to the Bahajun Samaj Party and contested the 2009 Lok Sabha polls from Chandigarh unsuccessfully. The next year, he joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.
After remaining associated with the saffron party for nearly a decade, he joined the Aam Aadmi Party in 2019 and fought the Lok Sabha elections from Chandigarh for the fourth time, losing again.
A hotelier by profession, Dhawan had a strong hold in colonies and was known as a mass leader.
“Dhawan was a great leader, who always fought for the development and welfare of the people of Chandigarh especially the down-trodden sections of society. He will be remembered by the people of Chandigarh for these qualities for decades to come,” former MP Satya Pal Jain said.
“The passing of Dhawan, called Bhishma of the city’s politics, is a big loss for the people of the city. AAP leaders and volunteers express grief,” AAP leader Prem Garg said.
“Dhawan’s demise is a significant loss for the entire city. He made significant contributions to the city in various capacities and connected with everyone due to his affable nature. His passing away is a great personal loss for me and also a big loss for a large number of people who admire his qualities. He did a commendable job during his brief stint as the civil aviation minister,” said Pawan Bansal.
