Who Was Shafiqur Rahman Barq? India's Oldest MP Who Passed Away Today

Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq on Tuesday passed away at a private hospital in Moradabad. He was aged 94.

Expressing its condolence, the Samajwadi Party, in a post on X, said, "The demise of senior Samajwadi Party leader and several-time MP Mr Shafiqur Rahman Barq Saheb is extremely sad. May his soul rest in peace."

"May the bereaved family members get the strength to bear this immense sorrow. Heartfelt tribute!" it added.

Rashtriya Lok Dal leader Jayant Chaudhary said, "My condolences on the death of Shri Shafiqur Rahman Barq ji. He was a leader with a real connect with the grassroots!," he said.

Who was Shafiqur Rahman Barq?

Shafiqur Rahman Barq was first elected to the Uttar Pradesh Assembly from the Bharatiya Kranti Dal in 1977 from Sambhal district. Thereafter, he won the seat thrice from different parties.

In the 1996 Lok Sabha polls, he got elected from Moradabad on the SP ticket. He then won the same seat four times (once from the BSP ticket).

Shafiqur Rahman Barq, the oldest member of the current Lok Sabha, was named by the Samajwadi Party (SP) as its candidate for Sambhal in the 2024 elections.

Controversies

He had hit the national headlines when he claimed that was against Islam and that Muslims cannot follow it. He faced backlash for justifying the Taliban's assumption of power in Afghanistan and drawing parallels between it and India's struggle for independence.