Sunder Lal Patwa

Some Lesser Known Facts About Sunder Lal Patwa

• Did Sunder Lal Patwa smoke: Not Known

• Did Sunder Lal Patwa drink alcohol: Not Known

• Patwa served as Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister twice, first for a brief spell of less than a month in 1980 and later, riding on the Ram Mandir ‘wave’, he came back to power in March 1990. However, his second stint on the seat of power was reduced by the imposition of the President’s rule in 1992 after the demolition of the Babri Masjid.

• Coming from Malwa region, he got associated with Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at the age of 18. He was an active member and leader of the Bharatiya Jana Sangh and was jailed under the Maintenance of Internal Security Act during the Emergency from June 1975 to January 1977.

• As the Chief Minister of undivided MP in 1991, he was the one who had initiated the process of privatization of state electricity board.

• His nephew, Surendra Patwa, is the current Minister for Culture and Tourism in the BJP-led state government in Madhya Pradesh.

• Patwa was found unconscious on the morning of 28th December and was rushed to a private hospital where he was declared ‘brought dead’. The autopsy report mentions cardiac arrest as the cause of death.