‘His tenure as Karnataka CM was impactful’: Congress condoles S.M. Krishna’s demise

The passing of S.M. Krishna marks the end of an era in Indian politics. As a senior Congress leader and former chief minister of Karnataka, he played a significant role in shaping the state's political landscape and in national politics as well.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge on Tuesday, 10 December, said the death of former Union minister was painful. Being a dreamer of development, he contributed immensely to the development of the state and nation.

"The death of SM Krishna, who was my dear friend and colleague at the state and national level, has caused me a personal loss. His vision, commitment and unparalleled public service played a crucial role in the development of Karnataka. The balance he achieved between social welfare and development has made Bangalore recognised globally," said Kharge.

Meanwhile, Congress leader 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.

Krishna passed away at his residence in Bengaluru early Tuesday. The 92-year-old veteran politician was ailing for quite some time, a family source said.

"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.

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

Born in Somanahalli in Karnataka's Mandya district on 1 May 1932, Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna started his career in electoral politics in 1962 by winning the Maddur assembly seat as an independent.

He was then associated with the Praja Socialist Party before joining the Congress.

He later joined the BJP in March 2017, ending his nearly 50-year-long association with the Congress.

He announced his resignation from the Congress in January 2017, saying the party was in a state of confusion on whether it needed mass leaders or not.

Krishna in January last year announced that he was retiring from active politics, citing his age as the reason.

He was the 16th chief minister of Karnataka from 11 October 1999 to 28 May 2004 (from Congress).

He also served as the governor of Maharashtra and was the external affairs minister during the Manmohan Singh-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) government from 2009 to 2012.

With PTI inputs