shimla: Hundreds of grief-stricken people of Mandi, and Himachal Pradesh, bid their adieu to former telecom Minister Sukh Ram –a man who will never be forgotten for connecting every household, including far flung high altitude valleys, with telephone, mobile and internet. The telecom revolution in Himachal Pradesh made him a champion of people's hearts, irrepective of his tainted political innings after the 1996 CBI raids.
The mortal remains of Sukh Ram, 95, were consigned to flames at Mandi—his hometown where the legendary politician had started his first political inning in 1962 as independent MLA, later attaining exceptionally high positions in the government, at the Centre and state.
His grandson Aayush Sharma, a Bollywood star and brother-in-law of Salman Khan, tweeted, "With a very heavy heart I bid farewell to my beloved Dadaji Pandit Sukh Ram Sharma. Even though you're gone, I know you'll always be with me, guiding me, looking over me and blessing me like you always do. Rest in peace dadaji, you will be dearly missed."
His other grandson Aashray Sharma, a young congress politician took to Facebook saying now the phone will not ring ( Abb Nahin Bajegi phone ki ghanti). The state government has given a full state honour to Sukh Ram. His cremation, among others was also attended by Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, cabinet ministers, MLAs, senior congress leaders and top government officials.Former CM Prem Kumar Dhumal was also present.
Pandit Sukh Ram had passed away on Wednesday at AIIMS, New Delhi where he was admitted after a brain stroke.
Anil Sharma, a former cabinet minister and Sukh Ram's son performed the last rites.
The career of Congress stalwart, phenomenally been quite a landmark and also controversial. He fell from the grace in 1996 following filing of the CBI case against him in the telecom scam relating to his term as union minister but he soon bounced back winning the state assembly election in 1998 as he led Himachal Vikas Congress (HVC)—a political outfit which first time emerged as third force in the state.
He joined hands with the BJP and helped in the formation of the state's first coalition government under Prem Kumar Dhumal, himself having been inducted as rank-II minister, after the Chief Minister.
His party had won five assembly seats, which turned the arithmetic completely against the Congress particularly Virbhadra Singh, his sworn political rival.