Former Himachal Pradesh speaker Tulsi Ram passes away at 78

Shimla: Former Himachal Pradesh assembly speaker and senior BJP leader Tulsi Ram passed away at Palampur following a prolonged illness, a party spokesman said on Tuesday.

He was 78.

Tulsi Ram breathed his last at Palampur in Kangra district on Monday night, the spokesman said.

Chief Minister Jai Ram Thakur, Speaker Vipin Parmar and BJP state president Suresh Kashyap condoled the death of Tulsi Ram.

Tulsi Ram was the speaker of the Himachal Pradesh assembly from 2007 to 2012 and was elected MLA thrice in 1990, 1998 and 2007 from the Bharmour assembly constituency.

He was a great statesman who worked tirelessly for the cause of vulnerable sections of society, the chief minister said.

Tulsi Ram's contributions for the development of the Bharmour assembly constituency were immense and he would always be remembered, Thakur said.