Former RS member Tirath Amla dies

Tirath Ram Amla, a leading businessman, philanthropist and a former member of Rajya Sabha where he represented Jammu and Kashmir for 21 years, passed away in New Delhi.

Tirath Ram Amla, a leading businessman, philanthropist and a former member of Rajya Sabha where he represented Jammu and Kashmir for 21 years, passed away in New Delhi on Thursday night.

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Amla, who was 95, is survived by his wife Satyadevi Amla, son Krishan, daughters Vijayalakshmi Khattar and Kiran Dhar.

A close confidant of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, Amla was described in a recent birthday message by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee as "one of the finest Parliamentarians of India".

He represented Jammu and Kashmir and was intricately connected with the events that shaped its history. Indira Gandhi appreciated his understanding of the Kashmiri political psyche, Vajpayee had said.

PDP patron Mufti Mohammad Sayeed in the same birthday greetings had said that Amla was a quintessential part of the mystique of Kashmir.

Amla set up a thriving business empire in the state as well as in the national capital. However, in the last decade or so his greatest passion was the Tirath Ram Satyadevi Charitable Trust, which is doing very good work in the state.