Raghunandan Lal Bhatia (3 July 1920 – 14 May 2021) was an Indian politician. He was the Governor of

Kerala Kerala ( ; ) is a state on the Malabar Coast of India. It was formed on 1 November 1956, following the passage of the States Reorganisation Act, by combining Malayalam-speaking regions of the erstwhile regions of Cochin, Malabar, South ...

from 23 June 2004 to 10 July 2008, and was the Governor of

Bihar Bihar (; ) is a state in eastern India. It is the 2nd largest state by population in 2019, 12th largest by area of , and 14th largest by GDP in 2021. Bihar borders Uttar Pradesh to its west, Nepal to the north, the northern part of West ...

from 10 July 2008 to 28 June 2009. He signed the Border Peace and Tranquility Agreement with China on behalf of the Republic of India.

Biography

Bhatia was born to Arooramal Bhatia and Lal Devi Bhatia, in Amritsar,

Punjab Punjab (; Punjabi: پنجاب ; ਪੰਜਾਬ ; ; also romanised as ''Panjāb'' or ''Panj-Āb'') is a geopolitical, cultural, and historical region in South Asia, specifically in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent, comprising a ...

on 3rd July, 1920. He graduated from the

University of the Punjab The University of the Punjab (Urdu, pnb, ), also referred to as Punjab University, is a public, research, coeducational higher education institution located in Lahore, Pakistan. Punjab University is the oldest public university in Pakistan. ...

Lahore Lahore ( ; pnb, ; ur, ) is the second most populous city in Pakistan after Karachi and 26th most populous city in the world, with a population of over 13 million. It is the capital of the province of Punjab where it is the largest city ...

, and received an LLB. After this, he served as a member of the governing body of Amritsar for nine years. Bhatia was first elected to the

Lok Sabha The Lok Sabha, constitutionally the House of the People, is the lower house of India's bicameral Parliament, with the upper house being the Rajya Sabha. Members of the Lok Sabha are elected by an adult universal suffrage and a first-p ...

in 1972, from the Amritsar Parliamentary Constituency. He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha from the same constituency at the 1980, 1985, 1992, 1996 and 1999 elections as a member of the

Indian National Congress The Indian National Congress (INC), colloquially the Congress Party but often simply the Congress, is a political party in India with widespread roots. Founded in 1885, it was the first modern nationalist movement to emerge in the British E ...

. During this time he held several other posts as well. He was a member of the executive committee of Congress parliamentary party from 1975 to 1977, the Minister of State for External Affairs in the Government of India from July 1992 until 1993, the Chairman of the Committee of petitions in Lok Sabha in 1983, the President of the Punjab Pradesh Congress Committee 1982 through 1984, the General Secretary of AICC in 1991, and also a member of the select committee constituted in 1992 for the amendment of the constitution. During his time in the

, Bhatia represented India as a delegate to the

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmoniz ...

, and participated as a delegate in the 7th NAM summit held in Delhi, in March 1983, the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting in

New Delhi New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the capital of India and a part of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament Ho ...

in November 1983, the Sixth SAARC summit in Colombo in 1991, and the 5th meeting of coordinating countries of the action programme for economic cooperation of non-aligned countries held in

Delhi Delhi, officially the National Capital Territory (NCT) of Delhi, is a city and a union territory of India containing New Delhi, the capital of India. Straddling the Yamuna river, primarily its western or right bank, Delhi shares borders ...

in 1986. Bhatia was also a member of the India Council for Cultural Relations from 1983 to 1984. He was chairman of the India Bulgaria Friendship Society from 1983 to 1990, and the Indo-GDR Friendship Association 1983 to 1990. He was also co-chairman of the All India Peace & Solidarity organization from 1981 to 1983, and the Vice President of Friends of Soviet Union from 1983 to 1984. Following the death of Sikander Bhakt in 2004, Bhatia became the

Governor of Kerala The governor of Kerala is the constitutional head of state of the southern Indian state of Kerala. The governor is appointed by the president of India for a term of five years and holds office at the president's pleasure. The governor is ''de j ...

. After spending four years in that post, Bhatia was appointed

Governor of Bihar The governor of Bihar is a nominal head and representative of the President of India in the state of Bihar. The Governor is appointed by the President for a term of 5 years. Phagu Chauhan is the current governor of Bihar. Former President Zaki ...

on 26 June 2008, switching posts with Bihar Governor R. S. Gavai. He was sworn in on 10 July 2008. He left office in 2009, and led a private life. Bhatia died from COVID-19 in 2021.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bhatia, R. L. Governors of Kerala Politicians from Amritsar Governors of Bihar 1920 births 2021 deaths Punjabi people India MPs 1971–1977 India MPs 1980–1984 India MPs 1984–1989 India MPs 1991–1996 India MPs 1996–1997 India MPs 1999–2004 Lok Sabha members from Punjab, India Indian National Congress politicians from Punjab, India University of the Punjab alumni Deaths from the COVID-19 pandemic in India Indian centenarians Men centenarians