Madhya Pradesh Governor Lalji Tandon (85) passed away on Tuesday after a prolonged illness. His son and UP minister Ashutosh Tandon confirmed the news.
Lalji Tandon was admitted to the Medanta hospital on June 13 after he complained of urinary problem and fever. He, thereafter, developed complications in liver and kidney and even underwent a surgical procedure. He was put on ventilator later.
Following his death, the three-day statewide period of mourning has been announced in Uttar Pradesh.
Tandon was born on 12 April, 1935. Tandon at the age of 14 became a member of the RSS. The leader started his political journey from UP with Lucknow’s Municipal Corporation election in 1962.
He was considered close to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and would also manage his election campaigns.
In 2004, he sparked a major controversy when a stampede broke out during his birthday celebrations which included saree distribution in Lucknow. The Chandrashekhar Azad park stampede left 21 women dead but a subsequent inquiry gave him a clean chit.
He had said that it was a private function organised by his well wishers and friends to celebrate his birthday.
The venue was littered with chappals and shoes, which bore mute testimony to the tragedy, even as an undistributed heap of newly packed sarees lay at the counter.
Tandon, however, had said saree distribution was neither his function nor that of BJP. Every year, some social workers had been organizing the function on the occasion of my birthday, he added.
In 1995, he was hailed for his efforts in bringing BJP and Bahujan Samaj Party together. BSP leader Mayawati considered Tandon as his brother and would tie Rakhi around his wrist and continued the tradition even after parting ways with BJP.
Tandon was elected to the Vidhan Sabha for three terms and was a minister in BJP and BSP -BJP governments. In May 2009, he was elected to the 15th Lok Sabha from Lucknow by a margin over 40,000 votes.
In 2018, he was appointed Governor of Bihar and shifted to Madhya Pradesh in the same capacity in 2019.
(With inputs from PTI)
