Overview
- Punj, who died Saturday at 76, drew tributes from Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior BJP leaders.
- Modi called him a prolific writer, thinker and public intellectual, noting his widely read columns and fact‑rich speeches in the Rajya Sabha.
- Punj began in journalism in 1971 at The Motherland, spent over two decades at The Financial Express, and later served as executive editor of The Observer of Business and Politics.
- He served two terms in the Rajya Sabha and took on party roles such as national secretary and convenor of the BJP’s intellectual cell, with in‑charge assignments in Gujarat, Punjab, Kerala and Himachal Pradesh.
- Accounts from colleagues highlight his cross‑ideological reach, his 2022 Devrishi Narad Samman, and that he is survived by his wife Shashi Bala Punj and daughter Shweta Punj.