From Our Bureau
Silchar/Guwahati, August 2: Former Union Minister and veteran Congress leader Santosh Mohan Dev passed away at a private hospital in Silchar on Wednesday morning following a prolonged illness. He was 83.
Dev was ailing for quite some time and was admitted to Valley Hospital last week after he developed complications.
Considered a heavyweight within the party during his five-decade political career and one of the Congress stalwarts of Barak Valley, Dev leaves behind wife Bithika and four daughters, including Congress MP from Silchar Sushmita Dev. Bithika was also a member of the Assam Legislative Assembly from his hometown.
Meanwhile, All India Congress Committee (AICC) vice-president Rahul Gandhi will fly to Silchar on Thursday to pay his last respects to the mortal remains of the departed leader.
According to a spokesperson of Silchar District Congress Committee (SDCC), Gandhi will reach Silchar around 2:15 pm and stay in the town for about two hours, before flying back to New Delhi.
Santosh Mohan Dev’s death has been widely condoled, even as the Assam government declared local holiday in the three districts of Barak Valley – Cachar, Hailakandi and Karimganj – on Thursday as a mark of respect to the departed soul.
Prime Minister rendra Modi, AICC chief Sonia Gandhi, Chief Minister Sarbanda Sonowal, Assam Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC) president Ripun Borah, former Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi, former APCC chief and Rajya Sabha MP Bhubaneswar Kalita and AICC secretary Bhupen Kumar Bora, besides a plethora of leaders and organisations of Barak Valley, have condoled the demise of the former Union Minister.
Meanwhile, Sushmita Dev expressed her gratitude over Twitter to Prime Minister Modi, Rahul Gandhi and all those who sent their condolences. She also thanked the State government for declaring Thursday a holiday in the three Barak Valley districts.
Partha Ranjan Chakraborty, Chairman of Media & Communication department of SDCC, informed the media that Dev’s mortal remains will be taken out in a procession to Silchar’s important institutions like India Club, Rotary Club, Rajib Bhawan, Indira Bhawan, Tennis Club, District Sports Association, Silchar Municipal Board, Banga Bhawan, Barak Cha Sharmik Union office, Red Cross Hospital, Janiganj Bazaar and Goldhigi Mall before being taken to the cremation ground.
Dev was Union Minister for Heavy Industries & Public Enterprise in the UPA I government. He earlier held the position of Union Minister of State for Steel (Independent Charge) in 1991, besides serving as Chairman of Public Accounts Committee for a year. The senior Congress leader was also the Chairman of Committee on Energy, Member of House Committee and Member of General Purposes Committee.
Dev was elected five times from Silchar since 1980 and twice from Tripura. Only a few political leaders have maged to get elected to Parliament from two different States.