Congress MP from Jalandhar Santokh Singh Chaudhary, 76, died on Saturday after suffering a cardiac arrest during the Bharat Jodo Yatra, following which the march was halted for a day.
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, who visited the grieving family, expressed shock over his death and described him as a hardworking leader and strong pillar of the party.
Chaudhary, a two-time MP, was taking part in the Rahul Gandhi-led march in Phillaur in Jalandhar when he fainted, according to senior party leader Partap Singh Bajwa, who was also marching with other yatris. “We have lost a gem, his void will be difficult to fill. My heartfelt condolences to his son MLA Vikram Chaudhary, friends and family,†he said.
Chaudhary was rushed to a private hospital in Phagwara where he was declared brought dead. Later, his body was shifted to his residence in Jalandhar. He had joined the yatra at Phillaur on Saturday morning and was walking along Rahul. After some time, he felt uneasy and fainted.
“Congress MP from Tamil Nadu Jothimani told me that during the yatra, Chaudhary asked her how are you and then he suddenly collapsed,†Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring told reporters. Earlier, Chaudhary was raising slogans ‘Jodo Jodo, Bharat Jodo’ to welcome Rahul, said Warring. He said Chaudhary was very excited about the yatra as it was passing through his area.
“The Chaudhary family has been associated with the Congress for a very long time.†Warring further said the family has decided to conduct the cremation at his native place at 11 am on Sunday.
Meanwhile, Congress General Secretary in-charge Communications Jairam Ramesh said the yatra has been suspended for twenty four hours following Chaudhary’s demise. It will now start from Jalandhar on Sunday afternoon. “Bharat Jodo Yatra will be suspended for 24 hours as a mark of respect for Santokh Singh Choudhary, Congress MP from Jalandhar who passed away this morning. The Yatra will resume tomorrow afternoon from Khalsa College Ground, Jalandhar,†Ramesh said in a tweet. He further said Rahul Gandhi’s press conference which was scheduled to take place at Jalandhar on January 15 will now be held in Hoshiarpur on January 17.
Chaudhary, a Dalit leader, belonged to a family of politicians. His father Master Gurbanta Singh was a Dalit stalwart, an educationist and a former Punjab agriculture minister. Chaudhary’s elder brother Chaudhary Jagjit Singh was a minister and his son Vikramjit Singh is a Congress MLA from the Phillaur assembly seat. The Congress MP’s native village is Dhaliwal near Kartarpur in Jalandhar district. Later, Rahul visited the residence of Chaudhary and consoled his family members.
