Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary dies of a heart attack during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Punjab

Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary dies of a heart attack during Bharat Jodo Yatra in Punjab

Chaudhary was walking alongside Rahul before he collapsed during the rush of the Yatra that had begun around 7 am from Phillaur

Rajesh MoudgilUpdated: Saturday, January 14, 2023, 11:24 PM IST
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Congress MP Santokh Singh Chaudhary | Twitter

Chandigarh: Santokh Singh Chaudhary, 76, a two-time Congress MP from Jalandhar, died of a heart attack while participating in the Rahul Gandhi-led Bharat Jodo Yatra in Phillaur town of Jalandhar district on Saturday morning.

Chaudhary was walking alongside Rahul before he collapsed during the rush of the Yatra that had begun around 7 am from Phillaur on national highway (NH 44) while Chaudhary was noticed fainting and collapsing due to cardiac arrest around 8.40 am.

Rahul Gandhi suspends yatra for 24 hours

He was rushed to the civil hospital in the nearby Phagwara town in an ambulance where he was declared brought dead. His body was later taken to his Jalandhar residence.

Expressing shock over the sudden demise of the senior leader, Rahul suspended Yatra for 24 hours as a mark of respect to his party colleague remembering him as a leader who was connected to the grassroots.

Party leaders said that Rahul who had suspended the Yatra for a day, had also rushed to the hospital as well as his residence, would also attend the cremation ceremony on Sunday.

Chaudhary, who belonged to a well-known Dalit family, was son of Master Gurbanta Singh, a Dalit icon of the state. Chaudharyโ€™s elder brother Jagjit Singh was a five-time MLA while he had himself been also two time MLA besides being an MP for as many terms.Chaudhary's son, Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary, is the Congress MLA from Phillaur assembly constituency.

The Punjab leg of the Rahul-led Yatra had entered Punjab on Wednesday from Sirhind in Fatehgarh Sahib district since when a score of party workers and leaders had been joining it braving severe cold-wave conditions; the foot-march had taken a break on Friday for Lohri festival and had then resumed on Saturday morning.

Top leaders condole death of Santokh Singh Chaudhary

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and several other top leaders cutting across the party lines, expressed their condolences. Expressing grief over Congress MPโ€™s demise, the PM said that he would be remembered for his efforts to serve the people of Punjab. 

While Congress parliamentary party (CPP) chairperson also senyt a condolence message to Chaudhary's wife Karamjit Kaur in which she said she was deeply grieved at the sudden passing away of the party MP. The Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge condoled the demise, saying his loss was a great blow to the party and organisation, the party Punjab chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring also mourned the death.

The Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann also expressed his condolences, while the Punjableader of opposition Partap Singh Bajwa and former chief minister Capt Amarinder Singh, who was in the Congress before floating the Punjab Lok Congress in 2021 and joining the BJP in 20222, also mourned the MPโ€™s death. The top state BJP and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) leaders also condoled Chaudharyโ€™s demise.

The cremation would take place on Sunday at 10.30 am at his native village Gakhlan Dhaliwal in Jalandhar.

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