Patiala: Rajmata Mohinder Kaur, mother of Punjab Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh, and the last queen of the Patiala Royal family, passed away on Monday here. She had not been keeping well for quite some time now, and had been rushed to PGI earlier as well. As per information reaching here, she died of complications arising out of old age. She was 95 years old.
Born in September 1922, Mohinder Kaur was the daughter of Harchand Singh, one of the key figures of the Praja Mandal movement in Punjab. Her father was closely associated with Sewa Singh Thikriwal – the most prominent leader of the movement.
She was married in 1938 to the then heir and later Maharaja of Patiala Yadavindra Singh and was named Mehtab Kaur. Her daughter, Heminder Kaur is married to diplomat and politician Natwar Singh. Rupinder Kaur is her second daughter. Apart from Capt Amarinder, she is survived by a second son, Malvinder Singh.
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She served as a member of the Rajya Sabha from 1964 to 1967 from the Congress party. She chose to fight the Lok Sabha elections in 1967 and emerged victorious from Patiala. In 1977, she joined the Janata Party after leaving Congress . She was appointed general secretary of the party. As a member of Janata Party, she served another term as RajYa Sabha members from 1978 to 1984.
After the death of Yadvendra Singh in 1974, she had given up wearing jewelry or expensive clothes and adopted two colors – white and Indigo blue – symbolic of piety. She resided in New Moti Bagh palace and was a revered public figure owing to her dedication to public service.
Maharani Mohinder Kaur was known as a pious lady, who gave charity freely, and lead a simple life.
The last rites are to be performed on Tuesday.