Rishikesh, April 18: Former Union minister and senior BJP leader Bachi Singh Rawat died at the All-India Institute of Medical Sciences here on Sunday. He was 71. Rawat was admitted to the hospital on Saturday after he complained of difficulty in breathing.

Medical Superintendent of AIIMS, BS Bastia, confirmed his death. Rawat was brought in an air ambulance from Haldwani and was admitted to the emergency ward of the hospital. Preliminary tests had revealed an infection in his lungs.

Uttarakhand Chief Minister Tirath Singh Rawat expressed grief at his death and prayed for peace to his soul and strength to the bereaved family. Bachi Singh Rawat was a four-time MP from the Almora-Pithoragarh constituency and had defeated former chief minister and Congress leader Harish Rawat thrice in consecutive elections.

Considered close to senior BJP leader Murli Manohar Joshi, Rawat was a Union minister of state for science and technology in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government.

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