Quick Info→
Hometown: Mandi, Himachal Pradesh
Age: 94 Years
Death Cause: Cardiac Arrest
| Bio/Wiki | |
|---|---|
| Other Name(s) | Sukhram [1]ABP Live |
| Full name | Sukh Ram Sharma [2]Aaj Tak |
| Profession(s) | Politician and Agriculturist |
| Names Earned | • King of Mandi [3]Hindustan Times • Kingmaker of Himachal [4]Hindustan Times • Pandit Sukh Ram [5]India Today |
| Physical Stats & More | |
| Height (approx.) | in centimeters– 165 cm in meters– 1.65 m in feet & inches– 5’ 5” |
| Eye Colour | Brown |
| Hair Colour | Salt & Pepper |
| Politics | |
| Political Party | Indian National Congress (1962-1997), (2019-May 2022)
Himachal Vikas Congress (6 July 1997-dissolved in 2004) Bharatiya Janata Party (2017–2019) |
| Political Journey | Political Journey 1962-1963: Member of the Territorial Council, Himachal Pradesh 1963-1985: Member of the Himachal Pradesh Legislative Assembly 1967-1972 and 1980-1985: Minister, Himachal Pradesh (held various portfolios) 1972-1977: General Secretary, PCC(I), Himachal Pradesh 1984: Elected to the eighth Lok Sabha and served as the junior minister in Rajiv Gandhi government  September 1985-October 1986: Minister of State Defense Production and Supplies October 1986-February 1988: Union Minister of State Planning February 1988-December 1989: Minister of State Food and Civil Supplies (Independent) 1991: Re-elected to Lok Sabha (Tenth) July 1992-January 1993: Union Minister of State, Planning and Programme Implementation (Independent Charge) and Minister of State Non-conventional Energy Sources January 1993-May 1996: Minister of State Communications (Independent Charge) 1996: Elected to Lok Sabha (Eleventh) for the third time 1997: Split from Congress 6 July 1997: Formed an independent political party Himachal Vikas Congress  1998: Post poll alliance with the BJP 1998: Contested the Assembly Elections from Mandi Sadar (won by a huge margin of 22000+ votes) 2004: Himachal Vikas Congress merged with Congress 2007: Announced retirement from electoral politics 2017: Joined the BJP 2019: Rejoined the Congress Party |
| Personal Life | |
| Date of Birth | 27 July 1927 (Wednesday) |
| Birthplace | Arnyana, Tungal (Kotli), Mandi, Punjab Province (British India) (now Himachal Pradesh, India) |
| Date of Death | 11 May 2022 |
| Place of Death | AIIMS, New Delhi |
| Age (at the time of death) | 94 Years |
| Death Cause | Cardiac Arrest [6]The Tribune |
| Zodiac sign | Leo |
| Nationality | Indian |
| Hometown | Arnyana, Tungal (Kotli), Mandi, Punjab Province (British India) (now Himachal Pradesh, India) |
| College/University | • Panjab University, Chandigarh • Faculty of Law, Delhi University |
| Educational Qualification(s) | • BA from Panjab University, Chandigarh • LLB from Faculty of Law, Delhi University, Delhi [7]Hindustan Times |
| Religion | Hinduism |
| Caste | Brahmin [8]The Indian Express |
| Address | Samkhetar Street, Mandi Town-175001, Himachal Pradesh |
| Controversy | Sentenced to Jail In 2002, he was convicted of causing loss of Rs 1.66 crore to the Indian government and was sentenced to three years in jail. Reportedly, the loss occurred after Sukh Ram gave the contract to supply communication equipments to a Hyderabad-based firm. Sukh Ram was again sentenced to jail for five years in 2011 for his involvement in corruption which was conducted while he was serving as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology in 1996. He was convicted of taking Rs 3 lakh as a bribe from a private firm Haryana Telecom Ltd (HTL) for giving a contract of Rs 30 crore to supply 3.5 lakh conductor kilometres (LCKM) of Polythene Insulated Jelly Filled (PIJF) cables to the Telecom Department. [9]Firstpost As per a leading newspaper, during the hearing of his case in the Delhi Court, Sukh Ram said, “I(Sukhram) am an 86-year-old person and attending the trial for the past 12 to 13 years. I suffer from old age-related ailments and have lost my wife. Therefore, a lenient view may be taken. As such it is not a case where the government has lost any money. The CBI allegation was that he (Sukhram) took bribe but no financial loss has been caused to the Government exchequer.” In reply, the CBI prosecutor said, “He is a “habitual offender” and sought maximum punishment for him.” While talking to the reporters, Sukh Ram said, “Despite the fact that age is not on my side, I have not lost hope for justice. I am the victim of a political conspiracy. My fight will continue till I come out clean from the court of law.” After he was sentenced to jail, he was slapped and kicked by a man named Harvinder Singh on the premises of a Delhi court. |
| Relationships & More | |
| Marital Status (at the time of death) | Widower |
| Marriage Date | 6 August 1953 |
| Family | |
| Wife/Spouse | Late Ram Devi |
| Children | He had two sons and three daughters. One of his sons Anil Sharma is a politician (member of the BJP), agriculturist, businessman. [10]Hindustan Times  |
| Parents | Father– Late Bhav Dev Mother– Name Not Known |
| Siblings | He had nine siblings. |
| Other Relative(s) | Grandson(s)- 2 • Aashray Sharma (politician)  • Aayush Sharma (actor; married to Arpita Khan)  |
| Money Factor | |
| Assets/Properties (as of 2009) | Movable Assets and Immovable Assets: Rs 4.25 crore [11]The Economic Times |
Some Lesser Known Facts About Sukh Ram
- Sukh Ram was an Indian politician and agriculturist. He is known for bringing a revolution in the telecom industry in India during his tenure as the Minister of Communications and Information Technology from 1993 to 1996.
- In 1953, after completing his graduation in law, he started practising as a lawyer at the Mandi District law courts.
- He started his political career with Congress, and later, due to a tiff in the party, he left Congress in 1997. However, he rejoined the party in 2019.
- After a successful tenure with his independent political party Himachal Vikas Congress, he merged the party with Congress in 2004.
- He had a successful political career with the BJP and served as the Power Minister, Himachal Pradesh.
An old photo of Sukh Ram
- He is considered one of the key persons in bringing mobile phones to India. In an interview, he said,
Once I had gone to Japan as Telecom Minister. I saw that the driver had kept the mobile phone in his pocket. Seeing this I felt that if Japan can have this technology, then why not in India.”
- He was related to Salman Khan’s family as Salman’s sister Arpita Khan is married to his grandson Aayush Sharma.
- On 4 May 2022, Sukh Ram had a brain stroke and was immediately admitted to a regional hospital in Mandi. Himachal Pradesh. His condition went critical, and he was airlifted to the AIIMS, Delhi. After being on a ventilator for two days, he died of a massive cardiac arrest on 11 May 2022.
- His grandson Aashray Sharma confirmed the news of his demise on Twitter. He tweeted,
End of an era. Alvida Dada ji abi nhi bjegi phone ki ghanti (good by Dada ji, now the bell of your phone will not ring.”
- Sukh Ram’s other grandson Aayush took to Instagram to share the news.
Aayush Sharma’s Instagram post for Sukh Ram
