BJP MP in Rajya Sabha from Gujarat Abhay Bhardwaj died at a hospital in Chennai on Tuesday while undergoing treatment for Covid-19. He was 66.Bhardwaj was elected to the Rajya Sabha in June and with his demise, second Rajya Sabha seat from Gujarat has fell vacant. Last month, Congress MP Ahmed Patel had died during Covid-19 treatment.
Bhardwaj had tested Covid-19 positive on August 31. After remaining under treatment at a government Covid-19 hospital for 40 days, he was airlifted to MGM Hospital in Chennai.Bhardwaj is survived by wife Alka, daughters Ashka and Amruta, son Ansh and a grandson. Son of a teacher couple, Bhardwaj had been associated with the BJP since its Jan Sangh days.
He was also the nephew of BJP veteran and former Rajya Sabha member Chiman Shukla. He was also a prominent figure in the Rajkot unit of Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Bhardwaj was also considered very close to Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.Bhardwaj had worked as an active member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), the student wing of RSS, and held the post of its national executive member. His association with Rupani was since their ABVP days.
A former bureaucrat, who was at the helm in Rajkot during that time, described Bhardwaj as a peer of Rupani in ABVP who was known as one of its “aggressive members”.A number of dignitaries including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Vijay Rupani, Governor Acharya Devvrata and Gujarat BJP chief C R Paatil expressed grief over the death of Bhardwaj.“Rajya Sabha MP from Gujarat, Shri Abhay Bharadwaj Ji was a distinguished lawyer and remained at the forefront of serving society. It is sad we have lost a bright and insightful mind, passionate about national development. Condolences to his family and friends. Om Shanti,” the Prime Minister tweeted.
He was also a prominent voice from Saurashtra demanding a bench of Gujarat High Court in Rajkot.Apart from politics, Bhardwaj also acted in some films including the Raj Babbar-starrer 1990 film Agneekaal in which he played the role of a judge.
