Former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna passed away at his residence late on Monday night. Today, on Tuesday, Prime Minister Modi condoled the demise of Krishna and said that he was an extraordinary leader who was respected by people from all walks of life. Krishna died at his residence in Bengaluru on Tuesday morning. A family source said that the 92-year-old senior politician was ill for a long time.
SM Krishna was also the Minister of External Affairs at the Centre and the Governor of Maharashtra. In his five-decade political career, Krishna played key roles in the central and state government. His friends and close people used to call him SMK. Gentle and soft-spoken Krishna played his role well in promoting the technology sector in Karnataka and building "Brand Bengaluru" as Chief Minister.
From being a minister on various occasions in the state and central government to being a member of the Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and leading the Congress in Karnataka, his innings in politics was indeed very long. He served as a member of the Legislative Council, Legislative Assembly, Speaker, Deputy Chief Minister, Union External Affairs Minister and Governor.
Bengaluru emerged as an alternative to Silicon Valley
"Krishna played an active role in putting Bengaluru on the global map," said a senior official of the information technology (IT) industry.
"During his tenure as chief minister, Krishna promoted the IT sector, resulting in Bengaluru emerging as an alternative to 'Silicon Valley' in the US state of California and generating employment opportunities for the youth," he said.
Born on May 1, 1932 in Somanahalli in Karnataka's Mandya district, Krishna began his electoral campaign by winning the 1962 assembly election as an independent candidate from Maddur seat against Congress veteran KV Shankar Gowda. He later joined the Praja Socialist Party and then joined the Congress. He graduated from Maharaja College in Mysore and obtained a law degree from the Government Law College here.
Was a Fulbright Scholar
Krishna studied at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, US, and later at George Washington University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. The Fulbright Programme is the US' flagship international educational and cultural exchange programme, which provides scholarships to students and scholars in more than 160 countries for study, teaching and research work.
Returned to state politics
After this, in India, he worked as a professor of international law at Renukacharya Law College. He first reached Parliament as a 'socialist' MP in 1968 and became a member of the fourth Lok Sabha. Krishna was also elected to the fifth Lok Sabha, but in 1972 he chose to return to state politics.
Was the CM from 1999 to 2004
He was the president of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee before the 1999 assembly elections, which the party won. He was the Chief Minister from October 1999 to May 2004. He served as the Governor of Maharashtra from December 2004 to March 2008 and as the Minister of External Affairs in the Manmohan Singh-led government from May 2009 to October 2012.
Ended his nearly 50-year-old association with Cong in 2017
Ending 50-year-old association, he joined the BJP in 2017, ending his nearly 50-year-old association with the Congress. He announced his retirement from politics on January 7, 2023. Krishna is survived by his wife Prema Krishna and two daughters - Malavika Krishna and Shambhavi Krishna.
Prakash Kumar Pandey
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