Jalandhar, Sept. 11 -- Former Punjab cabinet minister Chunni Lal Bhagat passed away at his residence in Jalandhar following prolonged illness. He was 93. His son Mohinder Bhagat, who is the horticulture minister in the AAP government, informed about his father's demise. The last rites were performed in Jalandhar. The Punjab government announced a half-day public holiday across state offices in honour of the late politician. Lal served as a cabinet minister in the previous Shiromani Akali Dal-Bharatiya Janata Party (SAD-BJP) government in 2012, overseeing the portfolios of local government as well as medical education and research under then chief minister Parkash Singh Badal. Born in Sialkot (now part of Pakistan) on December 1, 1932, Lal relocated with his family to Jalandhar after partition. He launched his political career as an Independent candidate from the Jalandhar South constituency in 1985, suffering an initial electoral setback before winning the seat on a BJP ticket in 1997. HTC...