BIDAR: Former minister Bheemanna Khandre has died at the age of 102, due to age-related issues, his son and Karnataka Forest Minister Eshwar Khandre said.
A freedom fighter, veteran Congress leader, and a cooperative stalwart from the Kalyana Karnataka region has died late on Friday at his residence. He is survived by two sons, including Eshwar Khandre and four daughters.
A tall Veerashaiva Lingayat community leader, Bheemanna Khandre, had served as the state's transport minister in Veerappa Moily's cabinet.
He was suffering from age-related ailments and respiratory problems for the last 10-12 days and was admitted to a private hospital in Bidar. Later, treatment was continued at his home in Bhalki, Eshwar Khandre said in a statement.
A lawyer by profession, Bheemanna Khandre entered public life by becoming the first elected president of the Bhalki Municipality in 1953. He entered the Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1962, served as an MLA four times, and was a Legislative Council member twice.
Khandre also served as the founding president of the Bidar Cooperative Sugar Factory in Hallikheda and the Mahatma Gandhi Sugar Factory in Hunji. He had also played a role in the implementation of the Naranja and Karanja irrigation projects.
As a freedom fighter and a fighter for the liberation of Hyderabad, he protested the atrocities of the Razakars and worked hard to keep Bidar district in Karnataka during the unification. He was also the president of Shantivardhaka Educational Institutions, and established Akkamahadevi College in Bidar and an Engineering College in Bhalki.
Khandre was also the national president of the Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha, the apex body of the dominant Veerashaiva Lingayat community.
Eshwar Khandre said the mortal remains of Bhimanna Khandre will be kept for the public to pay their respects in the premises of his house in Gandhi Ganj in Bhalki on Saturday. In the evening, the final rites will be performed according to the Veerashaiva Lingayat tradition at Shantidham in Bhalki.
Expressing grief over the veteran leader's death, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said, "Bhimanna Khandre, who participated in the freedom struggle under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi, was also at the forefront of the Karnataka unification movement. He was a born fighter who stood firm to keep the Bidar district in Karnataka and succeeded in that effort. Bhimanna Khandre's life footsteps are eternal in this soil."
Top Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, expressing sadness over the demise of Bheemanna Khandre, in a post on 'X' said, "A freedom fighter, educationist, and stalwart Congressman, he devoted his entire life to the service of the nation and the people of Karnataka. My heartfelt condolences to Eshwar Khandre ji, the Khandre family, and all his supporters."
Remembering the departed leader, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge said, Bhimanna, who had a soft-spoken personality, was a straightforward, stern, and self-respecting person. He was at the forefront of any pro-people struggles.
"He took inspiration from Mahatma Gandhi and joined the freedom struggle. The path he walked for the Karnataka unification struggle cannot be forgotten. His departure is an irreparable loss to the state," he posted on 'X'.
Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, former Chief Ministers B S Yediyurappa and Basavaraj Bommai, state BJP chief B Y Vijayendra, Leader of Opposition R Ashoka, Union Minister H D Kumaraswamy, and AICC General Secretary Randeep Singh Surjewala too have expressed grief and paid tributes to Khandre.