Himachal Congress leader Sukh Ram passes away, cremation tomorrow

Tributes pour in from leaders across party lines; Congress recalls his role in ushering in telecom revolution in the country

Veteran Congress leader and former Union minister Pandit Sukh Ram died after a cardiac arrest at All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi early on Wednesday. He was 95.

Sukh Ram served as the Union minister of communications and information technology from 1993-96. He was a member of the Lok Sabha from the Mandi constituency of Himachal Pradesh. (HT file photo)

His son Anil Sharma, who is the Mandi BJP MLA, said in a statement: “Our beloved Pandit Sukh Ram breathed his last at 1am at AIIMS after suffering a heart attack.” His mortal remains will be brought to Mandi from Delhi by road on Wednesday and his followers will be able to pay tributes at Seri Manch from 11am on Thursday. The last rites will be performed in Mandi on Thursday afternoon.

Sukh Ram’s health deteriorated after he suffered a stroke in Mandi on May 6. Initially, he had been admitted to the local Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose Zonal Hospital before being airlifted to Delhi on Saturday. Himachal Pradesh chief minister Jai Ram Thakur had visited Sukh Ram in hospital and offered the state chopper to airlift him to Delhi.

Sukh Ram, who ushered in the telecom revolution in the country in the ’90s, was known as the Chanakya of Himachal politics. Condolences poured in from leaders across party lines. “Saddened to hear the news of the death of former Union minister and senior leader Pandit Sukh Ram. He has made an important contribution in the political field, which will always be remembered,” tweeted chief minister Jai Ram Thakur.

“Deeply pained to learn dat Veteran #Congress Leader Pandit Shri #SukhRam Ji is no more,” the Rajeev Shukla, the AICC in-charge of Himachal Pradesh, tweeted. “His contribution as minister in the Congress government while ushering in a telecom revolution in the country will always be remembered. Spoke to his grandson @AashrayINC to convey our condolences,” he added.

Mandi Lok Sabha member and Pradesh Congress Committee chief Pratibha Singh also condoled Sukh Ram’s death.

Five years in jail for corruption

Sukh Ram served as the Union minister of communications and information technology from 1993-96. He was a member of the Lok Sabha from the Mandi constituency of Himachal Pradesh. He won the assembly elections five times and the Lok Sabha elections three times.

In 2011, he was sentenced to five years in jail for corruption when he was the Union minister in 1996.