True champion of development: Congress leaders condole SM Krishna's demise

New Delhi: Senior Congress leaders condoled the passing away of former Karnataka chief minister S M Krishna with party chief Mallikarjun Kharge hailing him as true champion of development who made significant contributions to the state and the nation.

S M Krishna passed away at his residence in Bengaluru early Tuesday. The 92-year-old veteran politician was ailing for quite some time, a family source said.

Born in Somanahalli in Karnataka's Mandya district on May 1, 1932, Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna started his career in electoral politics in 1962 by winning the Maddur assembly seat as an independent. He was then associated with the Praja Socialist Party before joining the Congress.

He later joined the BJP in March 2017, ending his nearly 50-year-long association with the Congress.

"Extremely saddened by the passing away of Former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Former Union Minister, S M Krishna. A true champion of development, he made significant contributions to the state and the nation," Kharge said in a post on X.

"It is a personal loss for me, for we worked as colleagues, both at the State and National level," he said.

"His vision, dedication and exceptional public service played a pivotal role in Karnataka's progress, while his approach to balance welfare with development placed a global stamp on Bengaluru's transformative paradigm.My deepest condolences to his family, friends and followers," Kharge said.

Former Congress president Rahul Gandhi also condoled Krishna's demise and said his decades of work significantly contributed to Karnataka's development and Bengaluru's transformation into a technological hub.

"Saddened to learn of the passing of Shri S.M. Krishna. His decades of work significantly contributed to Karnataka's development and Bengaluru's transformation into a technological hub," Gandhi said on X.

"My thoughts are with his family and loved ones during this difficult time," he said.

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra also condoled Krishna's demise.

"Deeply saddened by the demise of Shri S.M. Krishna, former Chief Minister of Karnataka and Union Minister, his contributions shaped Karnataka's progress and placed Bengaluru on the global map. My heartfelt condolences to his family and loved ones. May his soul rest in peace," Priyanka Gandhi said.

Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh condoled the passing away of Krishna and recalled that his tenure as CM being very impactful which contributed much to the growth of Information Technology, biotech, and other industries in the state.

"I have many fond memories of my long association with S.M Krishna, former Union Minister & former Chief Minister of Karnataka. His tenure as CM was very impactful and he contributed much to the growth of the IT, biotech, and other industries in the state," Ramesh said in a post on X.

Krishna's Budget speech of March 2000 was path-breaking in many respects, the Congress leader said.

"He entered the Congress from the socialist stream and came to occupy a distinctive position in the party for almost half a century. He was always immaculately turned out and had a great sense of humour," Ramesh said.

"He was as much immersed in tennis as in politics. When he was External Affairs Minister, I recall mentioning to him in passing that a particular foreign service officer was the great Ramanathan Krishnan's son-in-law. He then immediately reminisced about the Krishnan era of the 50s and 60s," he said.

"This morning as I read the news of his passing away I remembered a fine gentleman in the true sense of the term, and one who navigated the vagaries of public life with aplomb," Ramesh said.

Krishna is survived by his wife Prema and two daughters Shambhavi and Malavika.

Krishna had announced his resignation from the Congress in January 2017, saying the party was in a state of confusion on whether it needed mass leaders or not.

Krishna in January last year announced that he was retiring from active politics, citing his age as the reason.

He was the 16th Chief Minister of Karnataka from October 11, 1999, to May 28, 2004, (from Congress).

He also served as the Governor of Maharashtra and was the External Affairs Minister during the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2009 to 2012.