Ex-Haryana min Kamla Verma, undergoing black fungus treatment, passes away

Yamunanagar: Former Haryana minister and veteran BJP leader Kamla Verma, who was undergoing treatment for mucormycosis at a private hospital after recovering from COVID-19, died on Tuesday evening. She was 93.

Ms Verma's condition deteriorated suddenly and she died around 7:30 pm Tuesday, a doctor at the hospital where she was being treated said.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar condoled the death of the former state health minister.

"An era has come to an end with the demise of Kamla Verma ji," he said in a tweet.

Her organisational ability and her dedication to good governance "will always inspire us to work for the welfare of the people", he said.

In a tweet, Haryana BJP president Om Prakash Dhankar said he was deeply saddened by the news of Ms Verma's death.

He said Kamla Verma, who was the first president of the BJP's Haryana unit, had worked with many senior party leaders, including former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani.

"Her passing away is a personal loss to me. Her devotion to the organisation will always inspire millions of workers," Mr Dhankar said.

Notably, Kamla Verma was elected as MLA from Haryana's Yamunanagar in 1977 and later served as a cabinet minister in 1977, 1987 and 1996.