Patiala, March 28 Veteran Congress leader and former Punjab Minister Lal Singh passed away on Saturday, according to family sources.
Known as the "Bhishma Pitamah" of the Punjab Congress, the 84-year-old leader died at a private hospital in Mohali, they said.
He had complained of breathing difficulties at his Chandigarh residence earlier in the day and was rushed to a hospital, where he died, they said.
A towering figure in Punjab politics, his career spanned nearly five decades. In the 1990s, he emerged as a powerful and influential minister in the Cabinet of then Chief Minister Beant Singh, playing a key role in governance during a transformative period in the state's history.
He later served as finance minister under the Congress government headed by Amarinder Singh between 2002 and 2007.
A six-term MLA, Lal Singh was first elected in 1977 from Dakala — which he represented five times — and later won from Sanour in 2012. He also served as president of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee (PPCC).
He is survived by his son, former Samana MLA Kaka Rajinder Singh, and daughter Rupinder Kaur. Kaka Rajinder Singh accompanied his father's mortal remains to Patiala.
Speaking to