Document no: 4
Official Obituary Resolution
Preamble:
Shree Virbhadra Singh, six-time Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh, and former Union Minister of the Government of India, passed away around 04:00 am on the morning of 8 July 2021 at Indira Gandhi Hospital in Shimla.
He was born on 23 June 1934 in a royal family at Sarahan, formerly a part of the erstwhile Bushahr kingdom and presently a part of Himachal Pradesh. After completing school, he attained his Bachelor of Arts degree from St. Stephen’s College, Delhi. In 1962, he was elected as a member of the Lower House (Lok Sabha) of the Indian Parliament representing the Congress Party from Himachal Pradesh. He was elected again in 1967, 1971, 1980 and 2009 for five terms as a member of the Lok Sabha representing Himachal Pradesh. In 1976, he attended the United Nations General Assembly as part of the delegation representing India. He also served as the union Deputy Minister for Tourism and Civil Aviation from 1976 to 1977. From 1980 to 1983, he served as the Union Minister of State for Industries. From May 2009 till January 2011, he served as the Union Minister of Steel. From June 2012 he served as the Union Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
In October 1983, during the state by-poll election, he was elected as a member of the Himachal Pradesh State Legislative Assembly for the first time. He was elected to the State legislative assembly for eight consecutive terms since then in 1985, 1990, 1993, 1998, 2003, 2007, and 2012. He became the Chief Minister of Himachal Pradesh for the first time in April 1983. Since then, he was elected as the Chief Minister of the state for six terms, becoming the longest-serving Chief Minister of the state.
Raja Virbhadra Singh was particularly close to His Holiness the Dalai Lama and was a staunch supporter of the Tibetan freedom movement. During his lifetime, he regularly attends the official ceremonies of the Tibetan people as the special guest such as the 80th birthday celebration of His Holiness the Dalai Lama. He named the road from Mcleod Ganj to Gangchen Kyishong, the seat of the Central Tibetan Administration, as Potala Road. He also regularly met the Tibetan Parliamentary delegations and genuinely supported the Tibetan people’s struggle.
Resolution:
With deep appreciation, we express our wholehearted gratitude and respect to the late Chief Minister’s efforts and contributions. His demise is a great loss for the Tibetan movement and the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on behalf of the Tibetan people inside and outside Tibet offers its profound condolences to the family members of Shree Virbhadra Singh. We pray that all his aspirations are fulfilled and that he be happy and prosperous in all his rebirths. And so be it adopted accordingly with the unanimous approval of the Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile on 14 March 2022.
The above resolution was passed with unanimous approval by the 17th Tibetan Parliament-in-Exile at its 2nd session on 14 March 2022.
