Political leaders pay tribute to Sukhdev Dhindsa cremation on May 30

Chandigarh, May 29 (PTI) Political leaders cutting across party lines paid tribute to veteran Akali leader and former Union minister Sukhdev Singh Dhindsa on Thursday.
    Dhindsa died on Wednesday evening following age-related health issues at a private hospital in Mohali. He was 89.
    His mortal remains were kept at his residence in Chandigarh on Thursday.
    The cremation will take place at his native village Ubhawal in Sangrur district on Friday.
    Among those leaders who expressed grief with the Dhindsa family included Punjab cabinet minister Barinder Goyal, Akali MLA Manpreet Singh Ayali, former MLA Bikram Singh Majithia and his wife and MLA Ganieve Kaur, BJP leaders Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi and Manpreet Singh Badal, Congress MLAs Pargat Singh, Tript Rajinder Singh Bajwa, former minister Brahm Mohindra and former MLA Kulbir Singh Zira.
    Speaking to reporters, BJP leader Sodhi recalled his association with Dhindsa and said that with his death, a vacuum has been created in Punjab's politics.
    Sukhdev 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.
    Dhindsa was a Rajya Sabha MP from 1998 to 2004 and from 2010 to 2022.
    The Akali stalwart was given 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in 2019, but he then announced that he would return it in solidarity with farmers who were on protest against the now-repealed three farm laws.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's son Parminder Singh Dhindsa was the former finance minister in the erstwhile Akali government.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)