Senior BJP leader VP Goyal passes away

Courtesy : Daily Pioneer-
TN Raghunatha | Mumbai

Veteran
BJP leader and former Union Minister Ved Prakash Goyal passed away at
the Hinduja Hospital here on Wednesday night, following protracted
illness.

He was 82 and is survived by wife Chandrakanta, a
former three-time MLA, two sons Pradeep, Piyush two daughters Pramila
and Pratibha. Goyal had been ailing since May this year. He was
hospitalised once for a fortnight in May and again for over the past
one week.

Born on January 31, 1926 at Karnal in Haryana, Goyal
was educated at Dayanand Anglo Vedic College, Lahore, and did his and B
Sc (in Chemical Engineering). Goyal died at 9 pm and his funeral will
take place at 11 am on Thursday.

Close to both former Prime
Minister AB Vajpayee and senior BJP leader LK Advani, Goyal was the
Shipping Minister for two-and-a-half years in the previous Vajpayee-led
NDA Cabinet at the Centre.

A former All India treasurer of the
BJP, Goyal was the party’s Mumbai unit president. He had been a
full-time RSS worker after completed his B.Sc in 1949. Subsequently, he
was closely associated with Bharatiya Jana Sangh, Janata Party and the
BJP.

Goyal held several positions in his public life with
distinction. From March 2000 onwards he was the Chairman, House
Committee, Rajya Sabha, September 2000 onwards, Chairman, Committee to
discuss amendments to the Banaras Hindu University Act, 1915, 1990
onwards, All India Treasurer, BJP, 1998 onwards, Convenor-Overseas
Friends of BJP, 1999-2000 Member, Standing Committee on Energy,
1999-2000 Convenor Sub-Committee on Non-Conventional Energy Sources of
Standing Committee on Energy, 1999-2000, Member-Consultative Committee
for the Ministry of Communications, 1999-2000, Member-General Purposes
Committee of Rajya Sabha, Member, Select Committee on Prevention of
Money Laundering Bill, 1999, Member, Joint Committee on Central
Vigilance Commission Bill, 1999, 1999-2000 Member, Regional Direct
Taxes Advisory Committee, 1999-2000 Member, Hindi Advisory Committee of
Ministry of External Affairs, 1994-96 President BJP Mumbai, April 1996
Elected to Rajya Sabha, 1996-97 and 1997-98 Member, Standing Committee
on Energy, 1997-98 Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of
Industry, 1998-99 Member, Standing Committee on Transport and Tourism.

Goyal
was the founder editor of Nirbhay Pathik, a Hindi daily published from
Mumbai. He was awarded “distinguished Alumnus Award” by Banaras Hindu
University in 1984 and during 1997-98, he promoted young entrepreneurs
projects in Science and Engineering models through Akhil Bharatiya
Vidarthi Parishad; women empowerment, slums development and upliftment
of Adivasis through an NGO “Van-Bandhu”; Community service through
projects like public convenience, community halls, gymnasium,
beautification of public places, support to charitable medical
institutions.

He was also the president BHU Alumni
Association, Mumbai 1998-93 and Pt. Madan Mohan Malvia Smarak Samiti;
Charter President, Lions Club Kaliwada, Mumbai, 1976; Member, Adarsh
Ramlila Samiti and Agroha Vikas Parishad Central Committee, Bharat
Vikas Parishad, Hindustan Parakashan Sansthan, Mumbai and Bharatiya Jan
Kalyan Society Mumbai; Trustee of Mg. Committee and Lok Kalyan Nyas,
Delhi; President, Dr. Mookerjee Samriti Nyas, Delhi; Founder Member,
Parliamentarians for Friendship with Taiwan; Associated with National
Advisory Committee of the World Association for Small and Medium
Enterprises; Reading contemporary global literature on Business
Management, political and sociological subject, history, fiction,
sight-seeing, film and TV serials.