Political stalwart who transformed Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Former external affairs minister Somanahalli Mallaiah Krishna, who rose through Karnataka politics to take national centre stage and helped transform Bengaluru into a global information technology (IT) hub, died after prolonged illness on Tuesday morning.

- Arun Dev

He was 92.

A recipient of the Padma Vibhushan, India's second-highest civilian honour, Krishna served as Karnataka's chief minister from 1999 to 2004 and as India's external affairs minister from 2009 to 2012 as part of a six-decade-long political career.

Krishna transitioned from an impressive academic career to politics when he won the assembly elections as an independent candidate from Maddur in 1962, stunning then Congress veteran and sitting minister HK Veeranna Gowda.

The former Maharashtra governor breathed his last at 2.45am on Tuesday. The Karnataka government announced a three-day state mourning as a mark of respect to the veteran leader. His last rites will be performed with full state honours at his native village in Mandya district on Wednesday.

The state mourning is from December 10 to 12, an official notification said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, his cabinet colleagues S Jaishankar and Nirmala Sitharaman and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge and other leaders paid rich tributes to Krishna, who left the Congress in 2017 and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party.

"Shri SM Krishna Ji was a remarkable leader, admired by people from all walks of life. He always worked tirelessly to improve the lives of others," Modi said on X. "He is fondly remembered for his tenure as Karnataka's chief minister, particularly for his focus on infrastructural development. Shri SM Krishna Ji was also a prolific reader and thinker," the PM said.