Congress MP dies of heart attack, BJY suspended for day

Chandigarh, Jan 14 (IANS) Congress MP Chaudhary Santokh Singh on Saturday died of a heart attack during party leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Yatra in Punjab. He was 76 years old.

Chaudhary fell during the rush of the yatra in Phillaur town and was taken to a hospital in Phagwara in an ambulance where he died.

Leader of Opposition in the Punjab Assembly Partap Singh Bajwa said Chaudhary was walking along with a fellow MP from Kerala and suddenly collapsed.

In 2019, Chaudhary became the second-time MP from Jalandhar with a margin of 19,491 votes.

His cremation will take place on Sunday at 10.30 a.m. at his native Gakhlan Dhaliwal village in Jalandhar.

After a day's break, Rahul Gandhi had resumed his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Ladhowal Toll Plaza in Ludhiana on Saturday morning.

State Congress chief Amarinder Singh Raja Warring said the yatra will remain suspended till until the last rites are performed.

"He was a down-to-earth hardworking leader, a pious person and a strong pillar of the Congress family, who dedicated his life to public service from Youth Congress to Member of Parliament," Rahul Gandhi wrote on Twitter, expressing condolences.

Chaudhary came out with Rahul from Kusht Ashram in Phillaur when he collapsed.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra expressed condolences and praised him for being a dedicated leader and true public servant for the Congress ideology.

"Shri Santokh Singh ji was a dedicated leader and true public servant for the Congress ideology. His death has caused an irreparable loss to the Indian National Congress," she wrote on Twitter.

"Santokh Singh Chaudhury, aged 76, Congress MP from Jalandhar, passed away from a sudden cardiac arrest during the Bharat Jodo Yatra this morning. We extend our deepest condolences to his family," Jairam Ramesh, Congress general secretary in charge of communications said in a tweet.

"There will be some changes in schedule of the yatra which will be shared shortly."

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann tweeted: "I am deeply saddened by the untimely death of Congress Member of Parliament from Jalandhar, Santokh Singh Chaudhury. May God rest his soul in peace."

Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed condolences on the demise of Chaudhary and said that the parliamentarian was always vocal on issues of public interest.