Blow to Cong as former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, ex-MP Rajukhedi among leaders who join BJP
Bhopal (PTI): In a jolt to the Congress in Madhya Pradesh ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, senior leader and former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, ex-MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi and several others, including the party's former MLAs, joined the BJP here on Saturday.
Pachouri, Rajukhedi and other leaders joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the presence of Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Mohan Yadav, state BJP president V D Sharma and former CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan at the party's state headquarters in the morning.
Former MLAs Sanjay Shukla, Arjun Paliya, Vishal Patel were among the leaders of the grand old party who also joined the ruling outfit.
Pachouri, who was close to the Gandhi family, was Union minister of state for defence (defence production and supplies), and also served as a four-time Rajya Sabha member of the grand old party.
Pachouri had earlier held several key positions in the Congress, including the post of the party's Madhya Pradesh unit president. He was also the state unit president of the Youth Congress.
Rajukhedi, a prominent tribal leader, was elected as an MP from Dhar (Scheduled Tribes) Lok Sabha seat on the Congress ticket for three terms - 1998, 1999 and 2009. Before joining the Congress, he was elected as a BJP MLA in 1990.
VIDEO | Senior Congress leader and former Union minister Suresh Pachouri, ex-MP Gajendra Singh Rajukhedi join BJP in #Bhopal.#LSPolls2024WithPTI #LokSabhaElections2024
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) March 9, 2024
(Full video available on PTI Videos - https://t.co/n147TvrpG7) pic.twitter.com/6sOhpmuevO
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Veteran actor-filmmaker Deb Mukherjee passes away
Mumbai, Mar 14 (PTI): Veteran actor-filmmaker Deb Mukherjee, father of director Ayan Mukerji, passed away due to prolonged illness on Friday morning at his residence in suburban Mumbai. He was 83.
“We are deeply saddened to inform you of the passing of Mr. Debu Mukherjee, an actor and driving force of the North Bombay Durga Puja. He left us this morning,” a statement issued by his representative said.
His last rites were performed at the Pawan Hans Crematorium in Juhu in suburban Mumbai.
In the 1960s and 1970s, Mukherjee appeared in supporting roles in films like “Tu Hi Meri Zindagi”, “Abhinetri”, “Do Aankhen”, “Baton Baton Mein”, “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander”, “King Uncle”, and “Kaminey”. He also directed and produced the 1983 movie "Karate", starring Mithun Chakraborty, Kaajal Kiran, and Yogeeta Bali.
Mukherjee was part of the famous Samarth-Mukherjee family. He was the father-in-law of Ashutosh Gowariker and uncle of Bollywood actors Kajol and Rani Mukerji.
His mother, Satidevi, was the only sister of Ashok Kumar, Anup Kumar, and Kishore Kumar. His brothers were popular actor and filmmaker Joy Mukherjee and filmmaker Shomu Mukherjee, who married Bollywood actor Tanuja (mother of Kajol).
Mukherjee was married twice; his daughter Sunita from his first marriage is married to director Gowariker, and Ayan is his son from his second marriage.
Several family members and close friends, including Kajol, Rani Mukerji, Jaya Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Ranbir Kapoor, Hrithik Roshan, and others, paid their last respects.
