Hotelier MP Lalit Suri dies of heart attack in London

London/New Delhi: Lalit Suri, one of India's leading industrialists and hoteliers, died of a massive heart attack in London on Monday night only hours after attending a reception for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He was 59.

Suri, chairman and managing director of Bharat Hotels that owns The Grand group, had attended a reception hosted on Monday night for Manmohan Singh and took ill soon afterwards. He was immediately taken to the University College London Hospital.

There, he suffered a "massive heart attack" and died around 11.30 pm, Mosaraf Ali, a London-based doctor who was summoned to the hospital, said. "He suffered cardiac failure," the doctor said.

Suri, who was to have celebrated his 60th birthday next month, is survived by three daughters - Divya, Shrata, Diksha - and son Keshav, who has just completed his graduation in London. His body will be flown to New Delhi today and the funeral would be held tomorrow, family sources said. Suri was to go to Paris today with his wife Jyotsna to celebrate the couple's 23rd wedding anniversary today.

He was a member of the delegation of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI), which with other business bodies organised yesterday's India-Britain investment summit to mark Manmohan Singh's visit.

Suri's death came as a shock to the Indian industry that has gathered here in strength.

Untimely

"This is tragic news, completely unexpected," Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) president R. Seshasayee said.

"The passing away was completely untimely. Lalit Suri was a very senior member of the industry. His contribution to the hospitality industry in particular and Indian industry in general has been significant," he said.

Tourism

Suri, who enjoyed a close rapport with the Gandhi family, was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2002 from Uttar Pradesh with the backing of the then ruling Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance.

He also owned Delhi Midday, an afternoon newspaper published from the capital.

Born in Rawalpindi (Pakistan), Suri graduated from the Shri Ram College of Commerce in New Delhi and also studied at Vauxhall Motors in Britain.

Suri had established a network of hotels in New Delhi, Srinagar, Mumbai, Goa, Bangalore, Khajuraho and Udaipur. He was president of the Hotel and Restaurant Association of India and was keenly interested in promoting tourism in Jammu and Kashmir.