Phillaur: Congress MP from Jalandhar Santokh Singh Chaudhary passed away after collapsing during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Punjab’s Phillaur on Saturday. He was 76.
Chaudhary was immediately taken to the nearby Virk hospital in Phagwara. He was declared dead at the hospital. Senior Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who is leading the yatra, reached the hospital soon after Chaudhary was admitted.
Meanwhile, the yatra has been suspended for the day, and the future course will soon be decided, former chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi told ThePrint.
“This is an unfortunate incident. He was like my elder brother. His passing away is a great loss to us and the whole Congress party is in grief,” said Channi, who was also walking in the yatra enroute Phagwara.
Chaudhary’s son Vikramjit Singh Chaudhary, who is currently MLA from Phillaur constituency, was also present during the Bharat Jodo Yatra.
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann also tweeted expressing grief on the passing away of the Lok Sabha MP.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also tweeted expressing condolences.
“Deeply shocked and saddened to learn about the untimely passing away of our MP, Shri Santokh Singh Chaudhary. His loss is a great blow to the party and organisation. In this hour of grief, my heart goes out to his family, friends and followers. May his soul rest in peace”, he said.
Seventy-six year old Chaudhary was a two-time Congress MP — 2014 and 2019 — from Jalandhar. An advocate by profession, Chaudhary started his political career as the senior vice-president of the Punjab Youth Congress in 1978. He was elected to the Punjab assembly constituency twice — from 1992-1997 and 2002-2007 from Phillaur. During the 2019 Lok Sabha election, Chaudhary had defeated Charanjit Singh Atwal of the Shiromani Akali Dal.
The Bharat Jodo Yatra was en route Ludhiana on its 118th day. The yatra was supposed to halt at Phillaur and move ahead to Jalandhar. It entered Punjab on 10 January, and resumed the Padyatra after visiting Fatehgarh Sahib on 11 January.
This is the second death during Bharat Jodo Yatra. Earlier in November, Seva Dal leader Krishna Kumar Pandey had also passed away after collapsing during the Maharashtra leg of the Yatra.
(edited by Anumeha Saxena)
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