Bengaluru: Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna, a towering determine in Indian politics and a transformative chief, handed away on Tuesday on the age of 92. Recognized for his statesmanship and reformative imaginative and prescient, Krishna breathed his final at his Bengaluru residence, succumbing to age-related illnesses after extended remedy.
Krishna’s political journey spanned over 5 a long time, throughout which he turned synonymous with Karnataka’s rise as an financial powerhouse. Born on Might 1, 1932, in Maddur, Karnataka, Krishna’s tutorial brilliance shone early. He earned his legislation diploma from Authorities Regulation School in Bengaluru and later pursued superior schooling at Southern Methodist College in Texas and George Washington College in Washington, DC, as a Fulbright scholar.
His tenure as Karnataka’s Chief Minister from 1999 to 2004 is usually credited with laying the groundwork for Bengaluru’s transformation into a world IT hub. “He envisioned Bengaluru as a world-class metropolis and put Karnataka on the worldwide map of innovation and expertise,” mentioned a former colleague.
Krishna’s illustrious profession noticed him don many hats: Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Meeting (1989–1993), Governor of Maharashtra (2004–2008), and India’s Exterior Affairs Minister (2009–2012) underneath the UPA authorities. As Exterior Affairs Minister, his tenure was marked by India’s energetic engagement in international diplomacy, with a give attention to strengthening India’s place on the world stage.
In 2017, Krishna made headlines when he left the Congress, his political dwelling for many years, to hitch the Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP), citing a divergence in ideological alignment. Regardless of the shift, he remained a statesman revered throughout social gathering traces. In recognition of his lifetime of service, Krishna was honored with the Padma Bhushan in 2023.
Even in retirement, Krishna remained deeply linked to Karnataka’s heritage and tradition, exemplified by his inauguration of the Mysuru Dasara festivities in 2021. His passing leaves a void in Indian politics that few can fill.
Condolences poured in from throughout the nation. Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah known as Krishna’s dying “an irreparable loss to the state and the nation,” whereas Prime Minister Narendra Modi remembered him as “a statesman who mixed imaginative and prescient with motion.”
Krishna is survived by his spouse Prema, two daughters, and grandchildren. His legacy, nevertheless, lives on in Karnataka’s progress story and India’s evolving diplomatic engagements.
Krishna’s funeral will probably be performed with full state honors on Wednesday in Bengaluru, because the nation pays homage to one among its most outstanding leaders.
