Former law minister Bhardwaj dies at 82
NEW DELHI: Former Union law minister Hans Raj Bhardwaj died after a cardiac arrest at a hospital here on Sunday. Bhardwaj was 82.
Bhardwaj, a senior Congress leader, was undergoing treatment for kidney-related ailments at a private hospital here since Wednesday, his family told PTI.
Bhardwaj was a part of the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government, holding the second-longest tenure as the law minister since Independence. Bhardawaj was a minister of state in the law ministry for nine years and a cabinet minister for law and justice for five years.
His stint as the 16th governor of Karnataka between 2009 and 2014 was marked by controversies as he tried to dismiss the BS Yediyurappa government twice. He was accused by the Bharatiya Janata Party of corruption and of appointing tainted people as vice-chancellors of universities and approved the Congress’ MLC nominees for “extraneous considerations”.
In 2015, the veteran leader also courted controversy after he openly criticized the Congress. He said that the party was too weak to counter the ruling BJP at the Centre and that party leaders were “out of touch with the ground reality”.
Bhardwaj is survived by his wife, a son and two daughters. He will be cremated at the Nighambodh Ghat on Monday at 4 pm, his son Arun Bhardwaj told PTI.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed grief over his demise. “Anguished by the passing away of former Minister Shri Hans Raj Bhardwaj,” the Prime Minister’s Office tweeted.
“My thoughts are with his family and well-wishers in this hour of grief. Om Shanti,” the tweet said.
BJP leader and Union law minister Ravi Shankar Prasad also condoled his demise.
“Deeply condole the sad demise of Shri Hansraj Bhardwaj who for long years served as the Law Minister of India. We were together in the Parliament,” Prasad tweeted.