Former Union Minister and a Congress stalwart in Himachal Pradesh politics Pandit Sukh Ram has passed away, his grandson Aashray Sharma confirmed the death on a social media platform.
Aashray Sharma wrote on Twitter, “End of an Era, goodbye grandfather. Now phone’s bell shall never ring”. Mr. Sukh Ram was credited with leading a telecom revolution in the country when he was Minister of Communications and Information Technology from 1993 to 1996.
Sukh Ram, 94, was under treatment at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi, where he was admitted on May 7.
Mr. Sukh Ram had suffered a brain stroke in Manali on May 4, following which he was admitted at a local hospital. He was later airlifted to AIIMS in a government helicopter.
He won the State Assembly elections five times and the parliamentary elections thrice.
In 2011, he was sentenced to five years of imprisonment for corruption when he was Communications Minister in 1996.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur has expressed deep grief over the demise Mr. Sukh Ram. “I am saddened to hear the news of the death of former Union Minister and senior leader Pandit Sukhram ji from Mandi. He made an important contribution in the political field, which will always be remembered.”
