Surjit Singh Barnala's demise condoled
Barnala was admitted to a hospital in Chandigarh on Thursday and was shifted to respiratory ICU on Saturday where he breathed his last.
Chennai: Tamil Nadu Governor and political party leaders condoled the death of former Governor Surjit Singh Barnala at the age of 91 in Chandigarh.
“I am deeply shocked and grieved to hear about the sad demise of Surjit Singh Barnala. Barnala was a senior statesman, nationalist, Parliamentarian and was known for his administrative acumen and had held the gubernatorial post in various states and had also served as Union Minister and Chief Minister of Punjab,” Governor Ch Vidyasagar Rao said in a statement.
Barnala was admitted to a hospital in Chandigarh on Thursday and was shifted to respiratory ICU on Saturday where he breathed his last. Meanwhile, former Governor was cremated with state honour in his native village in Barnala on Sunday.
Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam, in his condolence message to the family members, said that Barnala holds a special place in the minds of the people of Tamil Nadu, having served as Governor in 1990-91 and from 2004-2011. “In his demise, India has lost an experienced administrator and public figure,” he said.
Hailing Barnala as a person who had brought laurels to his office by ‘upholding the dignity of democracy’, DMK Working President, M K Stalin recalled that when the central government wanted to dismiss the DMK government in 1991, claiming that law and order had deteriorated, Barnala had refused to give such a report, “with courage to protect the democratic ethos. “By doing so, he upheld the dignity of democracy,” he said, conveying his condolences to the next of kin of Barnala’s family.
PMK founder, Dr S. Ramadoss and MDMK general secretary Vaiko also expressed their condolence over the demise of the former chief minister of Punjab.