Former Union minister Harmohan Dhawan cremated with state honours in Chandigarh

Former Union Minister Harmohan Dhawan was cremated with state honors on Sunday. The Chandigarh administration conducted the cremation at the Sector-25 cremation ground. Dhawan’s sons, Harman Dhawan, Vikram Dhawan, and Priya Gulati, lit his funeral pyre. Family members, along with senior leaders from AAP, BJP, and Congress, including former MPs Satyapal Jain, Pawan Bansal, and Sanjay Tandon, as well as numerous dignitaries and supporters, tearfully bid him a last farewell.
Former Union Minister Harmohan Dhawan passed away on Saturday at a private hospital in Mohali. The 83-year-old had been unwell for an extended period and held significant political influence in Chandigarh. Known as an undisputed leader in Chandigarh politics, Dhawan had served as the Minister of State (Independent Charge) in the government of the late Prime Minister Chandrashekhar. Having been associated with various national parties, including Congress and BSP before joining BJP, Dhawan was currently aligned with the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP). He represented Chandigarh as an MP and was born on July 14, 1940, in Fatehgunj, District Sambalpur (now in West Pakistan).
Entering politics in 1977 under the guidance of the late Prime Minister Chandrashekhar, Dhawan assumed the presidency of the Janata Party in 1981. In 1989, he was elected as a Member of Parliament from Chandigarh and served as the Civil Aviation Minister in the government of Chandra Shekhar. Dhawan collaborated with BSP, BJP, and Congress throughout his political career. In 2018, he joined the Aam Aadmi Party under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal. Despite contesting the 2019 MP election from Chandigarh on an AAP ticket, Dhawan faced defeat in the Modi wave.