Murli Bhai As He Was Fondly Called, Was A Gandhi Family Loyalist And Was Well Liked Across The Political Spectrum For His Ability To Build Bridges Even With Rivals
Mumbai : Murli Deora, who passed away on Monday, would be remembered as a crucial link or pointman who built bridges with various political parties, among the political class and the business world and also the warring industrial tycoons. He was also the master strategist of his party whose Mumbai unit he headed for 22 years.
The Congress stalwart from Maharashtra always stood out from his contemporary party colleagues with his stark contrasting nature. While most of the Congressmen were found to be clad in white Khadi, Deora was seen invariably clad in sharp suits. While most of his colleagues worried about their support base amongst the masses who lived in shabby chawls across Mumbai, Deora mingled with corporate elites in the high-rises of Mumbai’s richest localities. While they hated political opponents, Deora made friends with them. While most of others wanted to contest elections and fight for the party ticket, Deora was happy working as the backroom boy and the strategist for many years.
His loyalty towards the Gandhi family and his nature to have friends across the political and corporate spectrum ultimately helped Deora to get the distinction as the longest serving petroleum minister of the country.
Deora’s tenure as petroleum minister began in January 2006 and was spread between UPA-1 and 2 completing exactly five years in office.
The 77-year-old veteran, during his political career spanning over four decades, was also the longest serving chief of Mumbai Regional Congress Committee.
A close confidant of former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, Deora was a key party fundraiser who was on personal terms with most of India’s well-known industrialists.
He was rewarded for his loyalty when he was picked to replace Mani Shankar Aiyar as Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas in January 2006 during Prime Minister Manmohan Singh’s first term.
Deora was known to be pro-US even during the Cold War when India was closely aligned with the erstwhile Soviet Union and hosted several leaders from the US during the 1980s.
He was a close family friend of late industrialist Dhirubhai Ambani and was regarded as an uncle by Dhirubhai’s children — Mukesh and Anil.
He will most be remembered for being at the centre of a bitter feud between two warring Ambani siblings over natural gas from Krishna Godavari basin in Bay of Bengal.
While the Anil Ambani Group accused him of helping Mukesh’s Reliance Industries on pricing and allocation of gas and ran an unprecedented newspaper advertisement campaign, Deora was the one who ordered a CAG audit of spending in the KG basin fields, a first scrutiny of private books of accounts by the official auditor.
Deora was retained in the oil ministry when UPA won a second term in 2009, but was moved to Ministry of Corporate Affairs in January 2011 and finally dropped from the Cabinet later that year.
An economics graduate, he was Mayor of Mumbai from 1977 to 1978 and was later elected four times as Member of Parliament for Mumbai South, a seat later held by his son, Milind, who is also a former MP and ex-Union minister.
Deora joined the Union cabinet in 2006, shortly before he turned 70 and led oil diplomacy in Myanmar, Algeria and Egypt.
He also hosted the first India-Africa Hydrocarbon Conference and Exhibition in November 2007.
The Congress leader began his political career in 1968-78 as Councillor in Municipal Corporation of Mumbai. During 1982-85, he was Member, Maharashtra Legislative Council. He was also former Director, Life Insurance Corporation and ex-Chairman, Maharashtra Small Scale Industrial Development Corporation.
In 1985, he became Member, Eighth Lok Sabha and won three consecutive terms.
In 1995-96, Deora became the International President, Parliamentarians for Global Action, New York. In 1998, he won his fourth Lok Sabha poll and was Member, 12th Lok Sabha.
He served as Chairman, Standing Committee on Finance 1998-99 and during October 2004-January 2006 as Member, Consultative Committee for the Ministry of Finance. In April 2002, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha. During 2002-2004 he was Chairman, Parliamentarians for Global Action, India and in 2004-05 he was Vice-President, International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, Geneva.
In April 2008, he was re-elected to Rajya Sabha. Between January 19, 2011 and July 12, 2011, he was Minister of Corporate Affairs.
He was currently serving his third term in the Upper House.
