Jai Ram Thakur, ministers pay floral tributes

Tribune News Service

Shimla, June 5

Floral tributes were paid to chief whip and former minister Narinder Bragta after his body was brought to the BJP state headquarters in Shimla for “antim darshan” today.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur and his Cabinet colleagues and state BJP chief Suresh Kashyap laid wreaths on his body.

Expressing grief over the death of Bragta, who died at the PGI, Chandigarh, in the wee hours today at the age of 69, Jai Ram Thakur said people, particularly of Shimla district, would always remember the contributions made by him in various fields such as horticulture, technical education.

He said Bragta had always taken care of the interests of people of Jubbal-Kotkhai and horticulturists, besides giving new direction to the development of the area.

He had lost a friend,

who enriched the party by his experiences. Bragta always stood by the people, said the Chief Minister.

Earlier, Thakur, Kashyap along with Himachal BJP in-charge Avinash Rai Khanna, co-in-charge Sanjay Tandon, organising secretary Pawan Rana, MLAs Dr Rajiv Bindal and Paramjit Singh Pammi, vice-chairman, Water Management Board, Darshan Singh Saini, former MP Kripal Parmar and other BJP leaders also paid tribute at Himachal Bhawan in Chandigarh.

Bragta would be accorded state funeral at his native Tathali village in Kotkhai tomorrow. The programmes, scheduled for today, had been cancelled. Bragata was also paid floral tributes at Solan, Shoghi, Theog and Chhaila and Kotkhai.

Governor Bandaru Dattatreya has expressed grief over his death.