Madhya Pradesh ex-chief minister Sunder Lal Patwa passed away on Wednesday following a heart attack.
The state government has announced a three-day mourning after Patwa's death. The funeral will be held on Thursday at his birthplace, MP CM Raman Singh told reporters.
Patwa, 92, served as the state's chief minister twice — first from January 20, 1980, to February 17, 1980, as a member of the Janata Party, and second from March 5, 1990, to December 15, 1992, as a leader of the BJP.
He was an Indian statesman and also served as a Cabinet minister in the government of India led by former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in 2001.
Patwa started his political career in 1951 with Jana Sangh, which later merged with the Janata Party. He was previously a member of the Indore Rajya Praja Mandal, RSS and was also an RSS Vistarak.
Patwa was in prison for seven months for taking part in an RSS movement in 1948. he was detained during Emergency under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act from June 1975 to January 1977.
Patwa won his first Lok Sabha bypoll from Chhindwara in 1997, but lost the seat in the general election the next year. He won Hoshangabad Lok Sabha in 1999 and then became a minister in the Vajpayee Government from 1999 to 2001.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed grief over Patwa's death and said in a series of tweets: "Saddened on the passing away of Shri Sunder Lal Patwa. He was a hardworking and dedicated leader whose good work as MP CM will be remembered. Shri Sunder Lal Patwa strengthened the BJP and was always admired by Karyakartas. My thoughts are with his family. May his soul rest in peace."
