Former Union Minister Shivraj Patil Dies at 90; Funeral on Saturday

LATUR, Dec 12: Former Union Home Minister and veteran Congress leader Shivraj Patil passed away at his Latur residence ‘Devghar’ on Friday morning at the age of 90, family sources said. He had been suffering from a brief illness, and his funeral will be held on Saturday.

Patil is survived by his son Shailesh Patil, daughter-in-law Archana—who contested the previous assembly polls from Latur city—and two granddaughters. President Droupadi Murmu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP (SP) chief Sharad Pawar, Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi were among those who condoled his demise.

Born on October 12, 1935, Patil began his political career as president of Latur municipality (1966–70) before serving two terms as MLA and later as Deputy Speaker and Speaker of the Maharashtra assembly (1977–79). He won the Latur Lok Sabha seat seven times and served as the 10th Speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996, besides being a Rajya Sabha member.

Patil held several Union portfolios, including Defence, Commerce, and Science and Technology. As Union Home Minister (2004–08), he resigned following the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack. He later served as Governor of Punjab and Administrator of Chandigarh (2010–15). His career also saw controversies, including criticism over multiple outfit changes during 26/11 and remarks on the concept of “jihad” in 2022.

Leaders across party lines hailed him as a statesman, scholar, and principled parliamentarian. Fadnavis called his contribution “exemplary,” while Sharad Pawar said he blended Congress ideology with a commitment to public welfare. Ashok Chavan described him as a “guiding figure,” and Ajit Pawar called him a symbol of simplicity and ethics. Supriya Sule, Amit Deshmukh, and other leaders also paid tribute to his dignified conduct, scholarship, and mastery of constitutional matters. (Agencies)