(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Deora was also known for his close association with almost all the top business families in India.
Mumbai: Veteran Congress leader Murli Deora passed away here in the early hours of Monday after prolonged illness. He was 77 and is survived by his wife and two sons.
A Gandhi family loyalist Deora was close to former prime ministers Indira Gandhi and her son Rajiv. However he was never in their cabinets and served the party for several years before being made a minister in the first UPA government in 2006.
A media-friendly politician Deora was also known for his close association with almost all the top business families in India. He had good equation with the late Dhirubhai Ambani the founder of the Reliance group and also his two sons Mukesh and Anil.
In fact Deora was the main fund-raiser of the Congress since the 1980s thanks to his excellent equation with industrialists and businessmen. He also had his own business in Mumbai.
Deora’s political career began in 1968 when he was elected as a municipal councilor. A decade later he became the mayor of Mumbai. The 1980s saw his political career on an upswing as he came close to the Gandhis.
He was a member of the Maharashtra legislative council and won the parliamentary election from the Mumbai south constituency in 1985. He served three consecutive terms from the prestigious constituency. Deora was made minister for petroleum and natural gas in 2006.
He was also the president of the Mumbai Regional Congress committee for more than two decades.
But the last few years saw Deora adopting a low profile even as his son Milind - who contested and won elections from the Mumbai south constituency - shot to prominence. Milind was seen to be close to Rahul Gandhi the Congress vice-president.
He was a junior minister in the Manmohan Singh government and was defeated from the Mumbai south constituency in general elections in May.
A loyal Congressman Deora had good relationship with leaders from across the political spectrum including the BJP the NCP and the Shiv Sena.
nithinkhaleejtimes.com
For more news from Khaleej Times follow us on Facebook at facebook.com/khaleejtimes and on Twitter at khaleejtimes
Follow khaleejtimes ->
Legal Disclaimer:
MENAFN provides the information “as is” without warranty of any kind. We do not accept any responsibility or liability for the accuracy, content, images, videos, licenses, completeness, legality, or reliability of the information contained in this article. If you have any complaints or copyright issues related to this article, kindly contact the provider above.