Mumbai: Veteran BJP leader Padmanabha Balakrishna Acharya (P B Acharya) passed away at his residence in Juhu on Friday. He was 92. Acharya served as the governor of Assam, Manipur, Nagaland, Arunachal Pradesh, and Tripura between 2014 and 2019.
Born in Udupi on the coastal Karnataka in 1931, Acharya breathed his last at his house, as confirmed by his family members.
PB Acharya's life
Acharya became associated with the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) at an early age and served a six-month jail term during the ban on the RSS in 1948. Continuing his education after the jail term, Acharya completed his graduation from the MGM College of Udupi. He then moved to Mumbai to pursue further education in law. Among the founders of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), Acharya addressed issues related to North East India since his early days in ABVP. He initiated 'Student's Experience in Interstate Living' (SEIL), a unique program aimed at connecting North Eastern youth with the rest of India in the '60s.
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Between 1995 and 2001, Acharya also served as the BJP's National Secretary.
He headed the Uapanagr Shikshan Mandal, which runs several educational institutes in Mumbai, for a long time. In his condolence message, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said Acharya remained committed to the organization’s ideology.
Maharashtra Governor Ramesh Bais said, "Padmanabh Acharya lived a purposeful life. A true warrior, he dedicated his life to the unity of the country. Spending many years in the North Eastern States, he understood the problems of the people and worked diligently to bring back people into the mainstream of the country. As the Founding father of the Upanagar Shikshan Mandal in Mumbai, he opened the gates of education for the marginalized sections of society," in his condolence message.
