Veteran Akali leader Sukhdev Dhindsa cremated at native village in Punjab’s Sangrur

Veteran Akali leader and former Union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa was cremated with full state honours at his native Ubhawal village in Punjab’s Sangrur district on Friday.

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Dhindsa died on Wednesday evening following age-related health issues at a private hospital in Mohali at the age of 89.

His mortal remains were kept at his residence in Chandigarh on Thursday to allow people to pay their last respects after which they were brought to Sangrur on Friday where people turned out in numbers to pay their homage to the departed leader.

Later, the last rites of the former Union Minister were performed at the family farmland in his native Ubhawal village in Sangrur.

The funeral pyre was lit by his son Parminder Singh Dhindsa, who was the former Finance Minister in the erstwhile Akali government.

Political leaders cutting across party lines paid tribute to veteran Akali leader. Among these included SAD chief Sukhbir Singh Badal, Punjab Minister and AAP state unit chief Aman Arora, SAD leader Bikram Singh Majithia, JJP chief Ajay Singh Chautala, Akali leader Prem Singh Chandumajra and former Punjab Minister Manpreet Singh Badal.

Dhindsa became Shiromani Akali Dal’s Lok Sabha MP from Sangrur in 2004. He was the Union minister of sports, chemicals and fertilisers in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government. He was a Rajya Sabha MP from 1998 to 2004 and from 2010 to 2022.

He was awarded Padma Bhushan in 2019, but he then announced that he would return it in solidarity with farmers who were on protest against the now-repealed three farm laws.

Dhindsa is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters.