Jalandhar gets double representation in Rajya Sabha

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, March 21

Jalandhar got a double representation in the Rajya Sabha nominations on Monday as both Ashok Mittal of Lovely group and cricketer Harbhajan Singh, who are Aam Aadmi Party nominees, hail from here. Interestingly, both of them started from a humble background and grew bigger with time.

Ashok Mittal (58) and his family has seen a meteoric rise as the vast Lovely group empire started off with a small sweet shop in Jalandhar Cantonment in 1961. After completing his LLB from Guru Nanak Dev University, Ashok, the youngest of the three Mittal brothers (two others are Ramesh Mittal and Naresh Mittal), too, had joined the expanding Lovely Sweets business which had been started by his father Baldev Raj Mittal.

Ashok Mittal (58) and his family saw a meteoric rise as the vast Lovely group empire started off with a small sweet shop in Jalandhar Cantonment in 1961. After completing his LLB from GNDU, Ashok, the youngest of the three Mittal brothers, too, joined the expanding Lovely Sweets business, which had been started by his father Baldev Raj Mittal.

Harbhajan Singh (42), too, hailed from a humble family and started his game from the narrow lanes of Kishanpura locality, where his old house was situated. Having started off from taking professional training at Burlton Park here in 1994, the bowler got 711 international wickets, including 417 in Test matches.

The enterprising brothers also started Maruti dealership in 1991 in the name of Lovely Autos, which helped them expand their family business further. In 2000, their fortunes multiplied as they entered the field of education and set up Lovely Institute of Management on the Jalandhar-Phagwara highway. Within five years, the institute got expanded further and earned the status as the first private university of Punjab. Ashok Mittal became its first Chancellor and continues to remain in the saddle.

The university, which is now set up on 600 acres of land and has over 30,000 students from various nationalities studying here, has seen big dignitaries coming here including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, ex-President of India Pranab Mukherjee, Vice-President of India Venkaiah Naidu and several union ministers. Even three Nobel laureates had been its visitors when it had hosted the National Science Congress in 2019.

Like Mittal, Harbhajan Singh (42), too, hailed from a humble family and has started his game from the narrow lanes of Kishanpura locality, where his old house was situated. Having started off from taking professional training at Burlton Park here in 1994, the bowler got 711 international wickets, including 417 in Test matches.

He had announced his formal retirement from all forms of cricket in December 2021 sparking off a discussion that he could join politics. His picture with ex-cricketer Navjot Sidhu had led to speculations that he could join the Congress. But he remained apolitical in the Assembly poll and joined the AAP as its Rajya Sabha nominee today. He wore a yellow turban in Bhagwant Mann style as he went to file his papers today.

About The Author

Tribune News Service

The Tribune News Service brings you the latest news, analysis and insights from the region, India and around the world. Follow the Tribune News Service for a wide-ranging coverage of events as they unfold, with perspective and clarity.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.

#ashok mittal #harbhajan singh bhajji #lpu