BJP veteran Chaman Lal dies at 87
Born in Jammu on April 13, 1934, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta was not in good health for the last couple of years as he was suffering from various ailments
Known for championing the cause of Jammu region, a Messiah for the poor and downtrodden and a true philanthropist, veteran BJP leader Prof Chaman Lal Gupta passed away on Tuesday morning at his Gandhi Nagar residence here.
He was 87. He is survived by two sons and a daughter
Prof Gupta, an alumni of GGM Science College in Jammu and Allahabad University, had tested positive for Covid and was successfully treated at Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Narayana Superspeciality hospital. “He had tested positive on May 5 and returned from hospital on Sunday after successful treatment. His condition suddenly deteriorated in the wee hours of Tuesday,” said a family member of the leader.
Prof Gupta was Union minister of state, ministry of civil aviation, between October 13, 1999 and September 1, 2001, MoS (independent charge), ministry of food processing industries (September 1, 2001 to June 30, 2002) and MoS for defence (July 1, 2002 to 2004).
Born in Jammu on April 13, 1934, the BJP veteran was not in good health for the last couple of years as he was suffering from various ailments.
The deceased leader had an illustrious political career spanning over five decades after he became a member of the J&K legislative assembly for the first time in 1972. He was again a member of J&K assembly between 2008 and 2014.
He was elected to the 11th Lok Sabha from Udhampur constituency of Jammu in 1996 and re-elected to 12th and 13th Lok Sabha in 1998 and 1999.
An author of three books in Hindi and a two-time J&K BJP president, he had completed his MSc from GGM Science College Jammu and Allahabad University.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to Twitter and posted his condolences. “Shri Chaman Lal Gupta Ji will be remembered for numerous community service efforts. He was a dedicated legislator and strengthened the BJP across Jammu and Kashmir. Pained by his demise. My thoughts are with his family and supporters in this hour of grief. Om Shanti,” he tweeted.
BJP national chief JP Nadda wrote, “Shocked to hear about the demise of BJP leader and former Union Minister prof Chaman Lal Gupta Ji. He played an important role in strengthening the party in Jammu & Kashmir...”.
Lieutenant Governor of J&K, Manoj Sinha, also paid rich tributes to Chaman Lal Gupta. “Deeply pained to hear about the passing away of former union minister, Prof Chaman Lal Gupta Ji... he will always be remembered for his immense contribution towards welfare of the people.,” the office of the Lt Governor tweeted.