Former Union Minister Suresh Kalmadi passed away at the Deenanath Mangeshkar Hospital in Pune in the early hours of Tuesday. He was 81.
Kalmadi served in the Rajya Sabha over three terms between 1982 and 1995, and briefly in 1998. He was elected to the Lok Sabha from Pune in 1996, 2004, and 2009. He was the minister of state for railways in the PV Narasimha Rao government (1995-1996).
Meanwhile, before becoming a rising star in politics, Kalmadi was a squadron leader in the Indian Air Force (IAF). After retiring voluntarily in 1974, Kalmadi began to run the Poona Coffee House with the backing of former Pune Mayor Nilubhau Limaye. This coffee house then became an informal political nerve centre in the city, where Kalmadi established his network, which significantly aided his political career.
Sharad Pawar, then a rising Congress leader, saw promise in Kalmadi and entrusted him with organisational responsibilities in the city. In 1977, Kalmadi was appointed as the Pune Youth Congress chief. However, it was when he threw slippers at the Prime Minister Morarji Desai's car, he gained the attention of the Gandhis.
According to a report, Desai was visiting the Tilak Smarak Mandir in Pune. During his visit, Kalmadi and Shyam Pawar, another activist, threw slippers on Desai's car and lay down in front of the vehicle. The news reached Delhi.
Later, Sanjay Gandhi called Ulhas Pawar of Maharashtra Youth Congress to know whose act it was. Soon, Kalmadi became Sanjay Gandhi's favourite. He was later introduced to Rajiv Gandhi in the NDA Passing-out Parade in 1980. They struck an instant chord with each other as they both were pilots, the report added.
