Patiala: Veteran Congress leader and former Punjab Minister Lal Singh passed away on Saturday. The 84-year-old leader, known as the ‘Bhishma Pitamah’ of the Punjab Congress, breathed his last at a private hospital in Mohali.
According to family sources, he complained of breathing difficulties earlier this afternoon at his residence in Chandigarh. He was taken to Mohali Hospital where he breathed his last.
Lal Singh’s political career spanned nearly five decades.
In the 1990s, he emerged as a powerful and influential minister in the government of then Prime Minister Beant Singh, playing a central role in governing the country during the transition.
He later served as Finance Minister in the Congress government headed by Amarinder Singh (2002-2007). Singh, who also remained an MLA for six terms, also served as the president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC).
He was first elected in 1977 from Dakala, represented the constituency five times and later won from Sanur in 2012. He leaves behind his son Kaka Rajinder Singh and daughter Rupinder Kaur.
His son and former Samana MLA, Kaka Rajender Singh, accompanied his father’s mortal remains as they were brought to Patiala.
Speaking to PTI over phone, Kaka Rajinder Singh shared that while the family is in deep mourning, they will consult with relatives and well-wishers before fixing the time and place of the last rites.
