Former Union Minister MS Gurupadaswamy is dead

Bangalore, May 10: Former Union Minister M S Gurupadaswamy died at a private hospital here today,hospital sources said. The veteran socialist leader was admitted to hospital on Monday, May 9 after suffering a heart attack.

Gurupadaswamy (89) leaves behind a son and two daughters. His wife Rajashri predeceased him. Gurupadaswamy served as Petroleum and Chemicals Minister in the V P Singh Government.

His political career began when he successfully contested the Lok Sabha elections in 1952 from Mysore as a Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party candidate at the age of 29.

Later, he became the General Secretary of the parliamentary party of Praja Socialist Party when Acharya Kripalani was its leader.

He was one of the key persons who negotiated the merger of PSP with Congress and joined the Union Ministry for the first time in former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi's Cabinet soon after the death of Lal Bahadur Shastri.

He fell out with Indira Gandhi during the 1969 split and resigned from the Ministry.Gurpadaswamy, then in Congress (O), became Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha.

Later, in 1983, when he was elected to the Rajya Sabha for the second time, he joined forces with the then Janata Dal leader V P Singh. After a stint as Minister in the V P Singh Government, Gurupadaswamy resigned from the Janata Dal.

Gurupadaswamy worked as president of PSP in Karnataka during 1956-61.

In his parliamentary career, he has had the distinction of being associated with such eminent personalities as Jawaharalal Nehru, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Gulzarilal Nanda, Indira Gandhi, Morarji Desai, Rajiv Gandhi, V P Singh, Chandrashekar, P V Narasimha Rao, I K Gujral and A B Vajpayee.

PTI