By ARUN PRATAP SINGH
DEHRADUN, 26 Apr: Cabinet minister Chandan Ram Dass passed away this afternoon in Bageshwar due to cardiac arrest at the age of 65 years. He was suffering from prolonged illness and was under treatment in Delhi and Dehradun for cancer. He was attending a function in Bageshwar when he felt uncomfortable and was admitted to the district Hospital where he breathed his last at around 1 p.m. this afternoon.
According to the CMO, Bageshwar, Dr DP Joshi, he was brought to the hospital following a heart attack. His blood pressure could not be controlled and he passed away at the hospital, itself. He had reported trouble in breathing since morning but still chose to attend a function, where his condition deteriorated and he was admitted to the ICU of the district hospital. At 1 p.m., he was declared dead. His last rites are expected to be performed tomorrow morning.
Chandan Ram Dass held the important portfolios of the Transport Department and Social Welfare. The news of his demise sent a wave of grief through the state and his party, the BJP. He was a four time MLA from Bageshwar and won continuously all the assembly polls since 2007, onwards, when he had contested for the first time and won on the BJP ticket. Prior to this, Chandan Ram Dass was also the Municipal Chairman in Bageshwar. He was an extremely popular leader due to his sweet and approachable temperament. A very down to earth person, he always displayed humility in his interaction with everyone whom he met. He had a busy schedule ahead of him for the day and he was due to attend the meeting of the district Planning Committee, too.
Following the demise of Chandan Ram Dass, the state government declared the rest of the day as a government holiday and also announced three days of state mourning as a mark of respect to the late leader. Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, senior cabinet colleagues including Dhan Singh Rawat, Prem Chand Aggarwal, Subodh Uniyal and Rekha Arya were among those who expressed shock at his demise. Speaker Ritu Khanduri and State Congress Chief Karan Mahra also expressed shock at the demise of Chandan Ram Dass.
Chandan Ram Dass was elected Municipal Chairman in Bageshwar in 1997 as an independent. Earlier, he was also elected joint secretary unopposed in the first year of BA in MB Degree College, Haldwani. He was elected MLA four consecutive times in 2007, 2012, 2017 and 2022. Though a highly popular Dalit leader, who never lost any election since 2007, he was made the cabinet minister only this time. Although he joined the BJP in 2006, he displayed his organisational capacity in the party and played a strong role in strengthening the party in Bageshwar and adjacent districts in Kumaon, besides playing a key role in popularising the BJP among the dalit voters of the state. Once he joined BJP at the insistence of veteran BJP leader Bhagat Singh Koshyari, he never looked back and remained loyal to the party and the organisation.
He was known to be soft-spoken and a good orator in the House. Even as a minister, he was convincing while responding to the questions of the members during Question Hour and otherwise. He also had a good grasp of the departments held by him. It was after winning for the fourth time as an MLA that he became a cabinet minister in 2022.
