“Though [Vilasrao Deshmukh] came from a rural background, he had a vision for Mumbai as a megapolis and he executed many initiatives.”
~ B Venkatesh Kumar, Political Science professor at Mumbai University.
Vilasrao Deshmukh, a prominent Congress Party leader and Member of Parliament, was a renowned politician from Maharashtra. In his entire political career spanning almost forty years, he held important positions in the Congress Party, state, and the central government. Deshmukh is best known for being the chief minister of the state for about ten years, a feat that is only second in the state, after Vasantrao Naik, who ruled for eleven years. He is remembered as a dreamer, who wanted to make Mumbai a city like Shanghai. He is also regarded as one of the very few politicians who could be approached at any time through phone.
Early years
Vilasrao Deshmukh’s background was modest. He hailed from the Babhalgaon village in the Latur district of Marathwada. Born on 26 May 1945, into a family of landlords, Deshmukh’s childhood dream was to become an actor. He is believed to mimic Shatrughan Sinha when young, “to regale friends.” But destiny had other plans for this young boy. Deshmukh studied science and arts in college from Pune University. He then went on to pursue a course in law from ILS Law College. His resume shows that he achieved three degrees.
After completing his studies, Deshmukh went back to his village and became a member of the Panchayat. He soon became the Sarpanch in 1974, when he was 29 years of age. He was in fact one of the youngest village-heads in history. He served the position for two years. In Latur district, he also involved himself with the Osmanabad Zilla Parishad and the Latur Taluka Panchayat Samiti, for which he was the deputy chairman. Deshmukh joined the Congress Party through its youth wing in the Osmanabad district in 1975. He held the post of President between 1975 and 1978. His diligent work got him noticed by his seniors and this marked his path into the Congress Party for life.
Political Career
Vilasrao Deshmukh’s political career had already started from his village. His foray into main-stream politics was in 1980 when he entered the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly. His first ministerial position came three years later, when under Vasantdada Patil he was made the Minister of State for Home. His political stature kept rising as the young politician showed promise and enthusiasm in every opportunity he received. Under the chief minister-ship of Shankarrao Chavan, Deshmukh became a prominent cabinet member with several state ministry portfolios, including revenue, industries, agriculture, and education.
There was although a minor slump during the chief minister-ship of Sharad Pawar, another prominent Congress leader. He decided to pull Deshmukh to the ground as his popularity had increased multi-folds. During Pawar’s ‘reign’, Deshmukh only got the Ministry for Cultural Affairs. With his “uncanny knack of making the best of whatever he got,” Deshmukh raised the ministry to new heights. One of his most significant contributions to the cultural affairs of Maharashtra was starting “a pension scheme for old and destitute artists.”
Vilasrao Deshmukh got the chance of becoming the chief minister of Maharashtra in 1999. During the time, in order to get a clear majority in the assembly, Deshmukh decided to form an alliance with Sharad Pawar’s newly established Nationalist Congress Party (NCP). Political analysts believed Deshmukh was a star in managing coalition politics. Despite his bitter history with Pawar, he succeeded in keeping the flock together.
Even though, for a brief period of time in 2003, Deshmukh had to step down from his post owing to the issues marring the state, like the bomb blasts in 2002. He made a ceremonious return the next year. In 2004, the people again chose Vilasrao Deshmukh as their chief minister. In his entire tenure of ten years, Deshmukh had a number of achievements including the farmer loan waiver. Apart from this, there were a number of allegations that were against Deshmukh as well, like dealing with the aftermath of attacks in Mumbai in November 2008 and the heavy floods in 2005, and twisted deals in the Adarsh Housing Society scam. These although did not deter him. The people whose lives he touched with generosity and kindness still remember him fondly.
After 2008, Vilasrao Deshmukh’s career shifted towards the Parliament. Along with his membership in the Rajya Sabha, he held the central Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises in May 2009 and January 2011 (after cabinet reshuffling), and the Ministry of Science and Technology, and Earth Sciences in July 2011.
Illness
Deshmukh’s political work had to be reduced when he was diagnosed with liver cancer. He was registered as a “hyper-ultra-critical case” for a full liver and kidney transplantation, which however did not happen soon enough. Deshmukh suffered from liver failure and died in the Global Hospital in Chennai on 14 August 2012, due to multiple-organ shut-down. He was 67 years of age. His family and friends remember him as a devoted politician and beloved father.
Also on this day:
1908 – Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, Indian religious figure who was the founder the Ahmadiyya movement, died
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