Former external affairs minister and Karnataka's former chief minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna (92) passed away at his Bengaluru residence early Tuesday morning.
A Padma Vibhushan (2023) awardee, it was his refined speech, impeccable dressing sense, a flair for music, books and tennis, and his transforming of the sleepy town of Bengaluru into a global IT hub that defined his five-decade-long stint in politics.
Krishna developed Bengaluru as the 'Silicon Valley of India', during his stint as chief minister of the state between 1999 and 2004. He has served as Governor of Maharashtra between 2004 and 2008.
The tech-savvy chief minister’s focus on development with initiatives like the Bangalore-Mysore Infrastructure Corridor (BMIC) and Bangalore Agenda Task Force (BATF) and Bangalore international airport, power reforms, digitisation of land records, and impetus to Private-Public Partnership (PPP) model helped build ‘Brand Bengaluru’, while his pro-people scheme - midday meals and free bicycles for school children and Yashaswini health scheme made him hugely popular and ensured a stable Congress government in the state.
Shri SM Krishna Ji was a remarkable leader, admired by people from all walks of life. He always worked tirelessly to improve the lives of others. He is fondly remembered for his tenure as Karnataka’s Chief Minister, particularly for his focus on infrastructural development. Shri… pic.twitter.com/Wkw25mReeO
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 10, 2024
Born on May 1, 1932, in Somanahalli Village in Mandya district to into a Vokkaliga family -- Mallaiah and Thayamma couple, Krishna did his schooling from Ramakrishna Vidyashala in Mysuru, studied law, before pursuing degrees from Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and George Washington University Law School in Washington, DC, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.
Saddened by the demise of former Chief Minister Shri S.M. Krishna. His unparalleled contributions as a Union Minister, Chief Minister, and leader have left an indelible mark. Karnataka will forever remain indebted to him, especially for his visionary leadership in transforming… pic.twitter.com/r2N3tt9ngA
— Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 10, 2024
On his return from the US in 1962, he contested from the Maddur Assembly constituency as an independent and entered the state Assembly. In 1967, he lost the Maddur seat after he joined the Praja Socialist Party, but won the Mandya Parliament bypolls in 1968. He won the Mandya seat again in 1971 and 1980 on a Congress ticket.
In 1972, he resigned from Lok Sabha and returned to state politics and was made the MLC by late D Devaraj Urs. In his autobiography, ‘Smriti Vahini’, Krishna recalling Indira Gandhi's campaign in Mandya in 1971, said, "She had a magnetic personality. At 53, she enthusiastically walked around the stadium to greet the huge crowd, before getting on to the dais. I was only 37 but failed to keep pace with her. "
Krishna became the industries minister in the Devaraj Urs-led government (1972-77), within a year of becoming an MP. In 1980, he went back to Lok Sabha and served as a minister under Indira Gandhi for a year.
Back in Karnataka after winning the 1985 Assembly polls, Krishna served as a speaker (1989-1993) and deputy chief minister in the Veerappa Moily government for a year.
After his stint in the Rajya Sabha (1996-1999), he led the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee to victory and became the chief minister. he Congress had won a thumping majority (122 plus seats) under Krishna, but he had chosen to break the opposition to weaken them and crush their morale. In contrast to the current regimes, which have had a lone woman minister in the cabinet, Krishna's cabinet had the highest number of women ministers in Karnataka - four in 1999.
For transforming Bengaluru from a pensioner's paradise to the startup capital of India, Krishna earned the nickname of "Bangalore CEO". But he also had numerous challenges as chief minister. The kidnapping of legendary Kannada actor Dr Rajkumar by forest brigand Veerappan and the Cauvery water agitation, both of which had disturbed law and order in the state.
"I asked God why he chose to give me all the hardships?" he reflects. "But now I know it is the challenges that a man faces that make him a leader,” recalled Krishna in his autobiography.
Krishna went for early polls in 2004 hoping his popularity would return the party to power. But the Congress party was reduced to 65 seats, the BJP won 79 and JDS 58. Krishna resigned as Chamarajpet (Bengaluru) legislator following his appointment as the Governor of Maharashtra. In 2008, Krishan quit as Governor hoping to return to state politics, but he entered the Rajya Sabha and was made the external affairs minister in the Manmohan Singh government.
On October 16, 2012, Krishna resigned as the EAM and five years later he quit the Congress party stating that the party was relying on "managers" and not on "time-tested leaders" like him.
He joined the BJP in March 2017 and announced his retirement from politics in January 2023. The veteran had reportedly admitted to having committed two "blunders" in his life -- prematurely dissolving the Assembly in 2004 and accepting the Governor’s post instead of staying put in the state.
