Dhami, Godiyal, Harish Rawat offer condolences
By Arun Pratap Singh
Garhwal Post Bureau
Dehradun, 26 Jul: Veteran Congress leader and former Cabinet Minister Hira Singh Bisht passed away this morning following a cardiac arrest. He was 81 and was unwell for a considerable period of time. His demise has triggered widespread grief across the political spectrum, with leaders from different parties paying tributes to his long public life and contributions to Uttarakhand’s politics and labour movement.
According to family members, Bisht complained of severe chest pain at around 1.30 a.m. early this morning and was rushed to a private hospital on East Canal Road in Dehradun. However, doctors could not save him and he passed away shortly after being admitted. Following the news of his demise, a steady stream of Congress leaders, party workers, supporters and well-wishers gathered at his residence on DL Road (Sevak Ashram Road) in Dehradun to pay their last respects. His last rites were later performed at Nalapani cremation ground, where also a large number of people including prominent political leaders from Congress, BJP as well as other political parties were present.
Among those present on this occasion was also Cabinet Minister Khajan Das.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed profound grief over Bisht’s demise and prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul while wishing strength and courage to the bereaved family to bear the irreparable loss.
Later in the day, the Chief Minister visited Bisht’s residence at DL Road and paid floral tributes to the departed leader and also conveyed his condolences to the grieving family.
It may be recalled that Hira Singh Bisht remained devoted in his entire political life to the Congress and public service. He served as a Cabinet Minister in, both, the undivided Uttar Pradesh government and the Uttarakhand government. During the Narayan Dutt Tiwari-led government in Uttarakhand, he handled important portfolios including Transport, Labour and Technical Education. Very significantly, he also remained President of the Uttarakhand unit of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC) for many years and consistently fought for the rights of workers, employees, slum dwellers and other underprivileged sections of society, earning a reputation as a grassroots leader.
Cabinet Ministers Ganesh Joshi and Khajan Das also have condoled the passing away of Bisht.
Bisht began his political journey in the early 1970s when he was elected President of the Students’ Union of DAV PG College, Dehradun, then the largest PG College in western Uttar Pradesh. Rising through the ranks of the Youth Congress, he emerged as one of the prominent Congress leaders of both Uttar Pradesh and later Uttarakhand. He entered electoral politics after joining the Indian National Congress and established himself as an influential young leader. In 1985, he was elected to the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Dehradun constituency. After the formation of Uttarakhand as a separate state, he was subsequently elected to the Uttarakhand Assembly from Rajpur in 2002 and later won the Doiwala Assembly by-election in 2014, thus becoming a three-time MLA.
Bisht was also among the prominent Congress leaders associated with the Uttarakhand statehood movement. He played an active role in mobilising public support for the creation of a separate hill state, leading several mass movements and consistently advocating that the development of the hill region could only be ensured through a separate Uttarakhand. Before and after the formation of the state, he held several key organisational responsibilities in the Pradesh Congress Committee and played an important role in strengthening the party organisation and raising issues of public interest.
Congress leaders across the state have expressed deep sorrow over his demise.
Pradesh Congress Committee President Ganesh Godiyal paid floral tribute to Bisht at his residence along with party workers and offered him a final farewell by draping the Congress flag over his mortal remains. In a message posted on X, Godiyal said Bisht had always been a powerful voice for the poor, workers, employees and the marginalised, and that his passing was an irreparable loss not only for the Congress family but also for Uttarakhand’s politics and the labour movement. He prayed for eternal peace to the departed soul and strength for the bereaved family and supporters to bear the loss.
Former Chief Minister Harish Rawat also expressed profound grief, describing Bisht’s death as an irreparable loss to the Congress family. In his tribute on X, Rawat said that with Bisht’s passing, the Congress had lost a senior and experienced colleague while Uttarakhand’s political and social life had suffered a loss that could never truly be compensated. He recalled the many moments they had shared and said Bisht’s affectionate guidance would always remain alive in his memories. Rawat extended his condolences to the bereaved family, admirers and supporters and prayed for peace to the departed soul.
Leader of the Opposition Yashpal Arya, Pritam Singh, Harak Singh Rawat, Pradesh Congress Committee Vice-President Suryakant Dhasmana and several other senior Congress leaders also mourned Bisht’s demise and remembered his lifelong commitment to public service and the party. They added that Bisht’s entire life had been dedicated to public service, social causes and strengthening the Congress organisation. They described him as an experienced, inspirational and fighting leader whose demise had created a void that would be difficult to fill, adding that paying homage through collective presence in this difficult hour would be the truest mark of respect for the departed leader.
