Chandigarh bids adieu to Harmohan Dhawan

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Chandigarh, January 28

Former Union minister Harmohan Dhawan was cremated with state honours at the Sector 25 cremation ground here today.

Mayor Anup Gupta, senior political leaders cutting across party lines, councillors, businessmen, officers and his supporters among others attended the cremation in large numbers.

Former Union minister Pawan Bansal, former BJP MP Satya Pal Jain, former city BJP president Sanjay Tandon, incumbent chief Jatinder Pal Malhotra, city Congress president HS Lucky and AAP co-in charge SS Ahluwalia were also present.

While the ruling BJP councillors attended the cremation, those of the Congress and AAP were not spotted there. Dhawan was a senior AAP leader.

Recalling his association with Dhawan since 1989, former councillor Devinder Singh Babla said, “He was my political guru. I was a college president when he asked me to join his Chandigarh Vikas Manch. He was an institution of politics in himself as he nurtured a large number of people who rose up to become councillors. “He was the one who got the city the GMCH-32 with his personal involvement. I had been jailed along with him several times while fighting for the rights of the poor. While in politics, he did not make money but only helped others financially. His plots in Industrial Area, restaurants in Sector 17 and a cylinder factory in Baddi had to be sold off as he repeatedly fought the Lok Sabha elections.”

His another political protégé, Gopal Pappu Shukla, husband of former BJP councillor, recalled, “I am in politics due to him. He never shied away from standing up for the downtrodden no matter which party they were from.”

Recalling his “bittersweet” memories with Dhawan, former city BJP president Sanjay Tandon said, “Even if he was not happy with my second term as president, he offered me sweets he had already ordered at his residence. He was known as Bhishma Pitamah of the UT politics. Dhawan was close to all. He always kept public sentiments at forefront and lived an ‘immortal’ life.”