MANDYA: SM Krishna, the former chief minister of Karnataka and Union minister, passed away on Tuesday at 2.45am at his residence in Bengaluru. He was 92 years old.
Krishna served as the chief minister of Karnataka from October 11, 1999, to May 20, 2004.
Following his tenure as CM, he was appointed as the governor of Maharashtra, serving from December 6, 2004, to March 8, 2008. He also held several key positions in the Union Cabinet, including serving as the Union Minister of External Affairs.
Born on May 1, 1932, in Somanahalli village, Maddur taluk, in Karnataka, Krishna pursued his early education in Mysuru. He graduated from Government Law College, Bengaluru, and was a Fulbright scholar, furthering his studies at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and George Washington University in Washington, DC.
Krishna’s political career began in 1962 when he was elected as an independent MLA from Maddur. Over the years, he held multiple positions, including Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA), Member of Parliament (MP) in both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha, speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, deputy chief minister of Karnataka, and Member of the Karnataka Legislative Council.
He served as the Minister for Commerce, Industries, and Parliamentary Affairs in the Karnataka government from 1972 to 1977, and later as Union Minister of State for Industry (1983-84) and Union Minister of State for Finance (1984-85).
Krishna was also part of the Indian delegation to the United Nations in 1982 and the Commonwealth Parliamentary Conference in New Zealand in 1965. He was a delegate at the Commonwealth Parliamentary Seminar at Westminster in 1990.
Krishna’s illustrious political journey culminated in his tenure as the Chief Minister of Karnataka and Union External Affairs Minister, during which he played a pivotal role in shaping India’s foreign policy.
In addition to his political achievements, Krishna was passionate about law, education, and international relations. Before becoming a full-time statesman, he was a professor of International Law at Sri Jagadguru Renukacharya Law College in Bengaluru. He was also actively involved with the World University Service.
Known for his love of tennis, Krishna also had a creative side, enjoying designing men’s clothes and reading. He was married to Prema in 1964.
