Former Union Home Minister and Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil breathed his last on Friday morning in Latur, Maharashtra. He was 90 years old. The veteran Congress leader had been suffering from age-related ailments. He is survived by son Shailesh Patil, daughter-in-law Archana, and two granddaughters.

Condoling his demise, President Draupadi Murmu wrote, “In the demise of senior political leader Shri Shivraj Patil Ji, we have lost a prominent public figure. During his long public life, he held many important positions, including those of Lok Sabha Speaker, Union Minister, Governor and a longstanding Member of Parliament. My heartfelt condolences to his family, well-wishers and admirers.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed condolences with a social media post, “Saddened by the passing of Shri Shivraj Patil Ji. He was an experienced leader, having served as MLA, MP, Union Minister, Speaker of the Maharashtra Assembly as well as the Lok Sabha during his long years in public life. He was passionate about contributing to the welfare of society. I have had many interactions with him over the years, the most recent one being when he came to my residence a few months ago. My thoughts are with his family in this sad hour. Om Shanti.”

Shivraj Patil’s political career

Patil was an extremely successful politician. He started his career as a Congress MLA in the 1970s. Later, he became an MP from the Latur Lok Sabha constituency. In total, he was elected to the Lok Sabha 7 times. Apart from the Home Ministry, he handled important responsibilities of several other ministries. He was also the Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996. A lifelong Congressman, Shivraj was known for his soft-spoken nature and political manners. He was never heard of personally attacking anyone. He was known for doing politics based on principles and ideals.

However, his political career was not devoid of controversies. The senior Congressman served as the Union Home Minister from 2004 to 2008 in the UPA government under then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. The 26/11 terrorist attacks took place in Mumbai while he was the Home Minister. Following this, Patil resigned taking responsibility for the Mumbai attacks. Later, during the Congress regime, Shivraj was politically ‘rehabilitated’. He was made the Governor of Punjab and the Administrator of Chandigarh. He remained in that position until 2015. After that, he was no longer active politically or administratively.

Patil was popular regardless of party affiliation

Although Shivraj remained loyal to the Congress party throughout his life, his family members alleged that he did not get his due respect from the party. Even his daughter-in-law joined the BJP. However, he enjoyed acceptance and popularity regardless of party affiliation. His death has cast a shadow of grief in the political circles.

Several Congress leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and Mallikarjun Kharge, expressed their grief over the demise of the veteran leader. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Maharashtra’s Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde also extended their condolences. NCP-SP leader Supriya Sule said that Patil left a long legacy for all the politicians across the nation. Deputy Chief Minister, Maharashtra, Ajit Pawar, said that his demise was a loss of a cultured and scholarly personality.

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