Former Union minister Harmohan Dhawan passes away after prolonged illness

Chandigarh: Former Union minister and former Chandigarh MP Harmohan Dhawan passed away following a prolonged illness at a private hospital in Mohali on Saturday evening, AAP leader Pradeep Chabbra said. Dhawan was 83 years old.

Several leaders, including former Congress MP Pawan Kumar Bansal and former BJP MP Satyapal Jain, expressed grief over Dhawan's death.

Bansal while expressing grief said Dhawan's demise said is a great loss to the city.

Senior BJP leader and Additional Solicitor General of India Satyapal Jain condoled Dhawan's death and said that the former Union minister fought for the development and welfare of the people of Chandigarh, especially the downtrodden sections of the society.

"He was a very social, humble, well behaved and a thorough gentleman. He will be remembered by the people of Chandigarh for these qualities for decades and decades to come," said Jain.

He left his mark, both as a minister and as an MP, he added.

Chandigarh Congress president H S Lucky in his condolence message said that Dhawan will always be remembered as a nice gentleman, who left a mark on every person he met.

"Today Chandigarh lost a man who was loved by one and all," said Lucky.

Dhawan was elected as the Chandigarh MP in 1989. He became the civil aviation minister in the Chandra Shekhar government.

Dhawan remained associated with various political outfits, including the Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP), Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

In 2018, Dhawan joined the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He had even unsuccessfully contested from the Chandigarh seat in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.