The veteran Congress leader, who served as India’s Home Minister during the 2004 government and resigned following the Mumbai terror attacks, has died after a prolonged illness.
Shivraj Patil, a veteran Congress leader who held some of India’s highest offices including Union Home Minister and Lok Sabha Speaker, passed away Friday morning (December 12). He was 90. The senior leader died at his residence in Latur, Maharashtra, where he’d been receiving care for age-related health issues.
Patil’s political career stretched over five decades. He served as the 10th Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996, a period remembered for modernizing parliamentary proceedings, including introducing live telecasts. He later became Union Home Minister in the UPA-I government led by Manmohan Singh in 2004.
But his time as Home Minister ended under a cloud. He resigned on November 30, 2008, taking “moral responsibility” for the security failures that led to the devastating 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks. After stepping down, he served as Governor of Punjab and Administrator of the Union Territory of Chandigarh from 2010 to 2015.
His funeral is scheduled for Saturday in his hometown of Latur.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi paid tribute, saying: “Saddened by the passing of Shri Shivraj Patil Ji. He was an experienced leader… passionate about contributing to the welfare of society.”
Home Minister Amit Shah also offered condolences, noting that “Patil Ji was known for his vast knowledge of public affairs and his dedicated service.”
NCP leader Sharad Pawar remembered him as someone who “consistently upheld ethics in politics,” while Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar called his death the “loss of a cultured and scholarly personality.”
Born in 1935 in the village of Chakur, Patil rose from local municipal politics to become a seven-time Member of Parliament from Latur. A loyalist to the Nehru-Gandhi family, he served as a minister under both Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi, holding portfolios like Defence and Civil Aviation before moving to the Home Ministry.
Despite the criticism he faced over internal security during his time as Home Minister, he remained a respected figure within the Congress party for his articulate nature and deep understanding of constitutional matters.
With Shivraj Patil’s passing, the Congress party loses one of its last remaining connections to the Indira Gandhi era. Tributes are expected to keep coming from across the political spectrum as final rites are prepared for Saturday.
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