Former Karnataka CM SM Krishna passes away at 92, Govt declares three-day state mourning

Bengaluru: Former Karnataka Chief Minister S.M. Krishna passed away at his residence early Tuesday morning, his family said.

The 92-year-old veteran politician was ailing for quite some time, a family source said.

"S.M. Krishna is no more. He breathed his last at 2:45 am at his residence. Mortal remains are likely to be taken to Maddur today," the source said.

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

Not many politicians held positions in state, central governments like he did

Not many politicians may have held positions as Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna -- SMK to his friends and the inner circle -- did in his political career spanning over five decades.

Suave and sophisticated with outstanding academic credentials, Krishna played his part with aplomb as the chief minister in promoting the tech sector in Karnataka and building "Brand Bengaluru". From being a minister on different occasions in the state and at the central government and a Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha member to heading the Congress in Karnataka -- he indeed had a long innings. He served as a member of the legislative Council, Assembly, Speaker, Deputy Chief Minister, Union External Affairs Minister and Governor.

Krishna is credited by many for putting Bengaluru on the global map as a fillip given to the IT sector during his tenure resulting in the city growing as India's Silicon Valley'.

Born in Somanahalli in Karnataka's Mandya district on May 1, 1932, Krishna kicked off his electoral foray in style winning as an independent candidate from Maddur seat against Congress stalwart K V Shankar Gowda in the 1962 assembly elections. He later associated himself with the Praja Socialist Party before joining the Congress.

A graduate of Maharaja’s College, Mysuru, he obtained a law degree from the Government Law College here. Further, he studied at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, US, and later at George Washington University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar. In India, he worked as a Professor of International Law at Renukacharya Law College.

He debuted in the Parliament in 1968 as a 'Socialist' MP and became a member of the fourth Lok Sabha.

Krishna was elected to the fifth Lok Sabha too but preferred to return to state politics in 1972 when he was elected to the Legislative Council and inducted as Minister for Commerce, Industries and Parliamentary Affairs, a charge he held between 1972 and 1977.

In 1980, he returned to Lok Sabha and served as the Minister of State for Industry from 1983-84, and Minister of State for Finance from 1984-85. Krishna, an attorney-at-law, became the Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1989, and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka in 1992. Elected to Rajya Sabha in 1996, he was its member till October 1999.

He was Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president ahead of the 1999 assembly polls in which the party won.

He was Chief Minister from October 1999 to May 2004. He served as the Governor of Maharashtra from December 2004 to March 2008, and as the External Affairs Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led government from May 2009 to October 2012. In 2017, he joined the BJP, ending his nearly 50-year-long association with the Congress.

Krishna was a member of both the Karnataka Assembly and Council and also served as Deputy Chief Minister (1993 to 1994) He was Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president ahead of the 1999 assembly polls in which the party won and he became the chief minister.

He announced his retirement from politics on January 7, 2023.

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

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.

"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.

Karnataka govt declares three-day state mourning

The Karnataka government announced state mourning for three days as a mark of respect to veteran politician and former Chief Minister S M Krishna, who died here on Tuesday. His last rites will be performed with full state honours at his native in Mandya district on Wednesday.

The three-day state mourning is from December 10 to 12, official notification said.

During this period, there will be no official entertainment programmes and the national flag will be flown at half mast in all government buildings, it said.

Inputs from PTI.