Veteran Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) Leader and three time MLA, Jathedar Tota Singh, died at Fortis Hospital, Mohali, on Saturday morning.
The 80-year-old, a trusted lieutenant of former chief minister Parkash Singh Badal, had been hospitalised for a few days due to a liver problem.
He began his political career as a sarpanch in his native Didare Wala village, which is located in the Moga district's Nihalsinghwala Assembly segment. He was elected district president of the Akali Dal in Ferozepur, the state's largest district, in 1969. Tota ran for the Moga constituency in 1997, and then-chief minister Badal appointed him as education minister in the SAD-BJP coalition.
He is renowned with making English a compulsory subject from Class 1 in the state government schools.
Tota Singh was one of the oldest candidates in this year's Punjab elections, running for the SAD in Dharamkot but he lost to the Aam Aadmi Party.
Leaders Mourn Veteran's Demise
SAD President Sukhbir Singh Badal, Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Mann and others mourned the death of the leader.
"Deeply saddened to learn about the demise of senior Akali leader Jathedar Tota Singh Ji. Jathedar sahab was a father figure to me & a source of inspiration for all of us." Badal wrote in his tweet.
"May God grant peace to his soul and strength to his family," Mann wrote on Twitter.
He is survived by his wife, three sons and a daughter. Barjinder Singh Makhan Brar, one of his sons, is also a member of the SAD.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)