Former Congress minister Ramesh Dogra dead
Former Congress leader and four-time Dasuya MLA Ramesh Chander Dogra (76) died here on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
Former Congress leader and four-time Dasuya MLA Ramesh Chander Dogra (76) died here on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. He is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter.
He had been admitted to a private hospital here a month ago with brain-related complications. Last rites would be performed on Wednesday, family sources said.
Dogra served as the local bodies minister and deputy speaker in the Beant Singh-led Congress government (1992-95). He held the health portfolio in the Capt Amarinder Singh government (2002-07). He won the Dasuya assembly seat for the first time in 1985 as an Independent and later joined the Congress. He won three consecutive elections on the Congress ticket. Despite his ill-health, he contested the 2012 assembly polls and went down fighting to the BJP's late Amarjit Singh Sahi.
Ironically, Sahi, who had made Dogra's failing health an election issue, himself died an untimely death, necessitating a byelection in July 2012. The ex-MLA's son, Arun Dogra, lost to Sahi's widow Sukhjit Kaur in the bypoll.
The district Congress held a condolence meeting on Tuesday under the chairmanship of district president and Hoshiarpur MLA Sunder Sham Arora.