Former Punjab minister Bhagat Chunni Lal dies at 94
Lal was a Cabinet Minister in SAD-BJP government and was elected MLA from Jalandhar West thrice; son Mohinder Bhagat is an AAP minister
Former Punjab minister Bhagat Chunni Lal passed away at a hospital in Jalandhar on Thursday. He was 94.
He had been unwell for more than seven years and remained hospitalised on several occasions. Lal breathed his last at Fortis Hospital in the wee hours of Thursday.
His final rites and cremation will take place at the cremation ground near Model House in Jalandhar at 5 pm on Thursday.
The Punjab government declared a half-day holiday in view of Lal's demise.
Lal was a Cabinet Minister in the erstwhile SAD-BJP government in 2012. He held the portfolios of Local Government and Medical Education, Forests, Wildlife and Labour in the then Parkash Singh Badal government.
He was elected MLA from Jalandhar West thrice, in 1997, 2007 and 2012. He also served as Deputy Speaker of the Punjab Vidhan Sabha.
He is survived by four daughters and four sons. His son, Mohinder Bhagat, is currently a minister in the AAP government.
Lal had migrated from Sialkot (now in Pakistan) during Partition and started his sports goods manufacturing business in Jalandhar. His grandson, Krish Bhagat, is a cricketer and had played for the Mumbai Indians in April this year.
