Summary of this article
Former Uttarakhand Chief Minister B. C. Khanduri died at 91 after a prolonged illness.
A retired Army Major General, he later became a senior BJP leader and served twice as Chief Minister.
Khanduri also played a major role in India’s highway expansion projects during the Vajpayee government.
Former Chief Minister of Uttarakhand and veteran BJP leader, Major General (Retd.) Bhuwan Chandra Khanduri passed away on Tuesday after prolonged illness, at a private hospital in Dehradun.
Khanduri was a former army officer who transitioned into politics and served two terms as Uttarakhand Chief Minister while also serving as a union minister under Atal Bihari Vajpayee.
He is survived by his spouse Aruna Khanduri, son Manish Khanduri and daughter Rita Khanduri Bhushan, who is also the speaker of the Uttarakhand Legislative Assembly.
Khanduri had been suffering from age-related ailments for a while and was frequently hospitalized due to health concerns.
Political Career
Popularly known as ‘General Sahab’, a reference to his military career, he earned the reputation of a strict administrator and a disciplinarian.
He became the Minister of State (with independent charge) of the ministry of Road Transport and Highways from 2000-2003 in the Vajpayee cabinet. At the helm of the ministry, Khanduri led the Golden Quadrilateral project of the NDA government to connect major Indian cities and the North-South and East-West Corridor Project.
Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami expressed grief over the passing of the senior leader.
“He presented an unparalleled example of national service, discipline and dedication during his tenure in the Indian Army,” Mr. Dhami said.
