Shivraj Patil, Former Union Home Minister, Passes Away at 90 in Latur

Congress veteran and ex-Lok Sabha Speaker Shivraj Patil passed away on Friday, leaving behind a legacy spanning decades in India’s public life.

Former Union Home Minister and Congress leader Shivraj Patil passed away on Friday morning in Maharashtra's Latur district. He was ninety years old.

Born in the Chakur district of Latur in 1935 Patil joined Osmania University later attending Mumbai University to study law. He started working for the Latur Municipal Corporation in 1967.

In the Union government he served in a number of capabilities including speaker of the Lok Sabha from 1991 to 1996. In 1972 Shivraj Patil was selected as an MLA from the Latur constituency and he secured a second term in 1978. Also he served as an MP from Latur seven times between 1980 and 1999.

From 2004 to 2008 Patil was the Union's home minister. But on November 30 2008 he resigned from his position after taking moral responsibility for the security failings caused during the terror assault in Mumbai a few days earlier. From 2010 to 2015 he was the administrator of Chandigarh and the governor of Punjab.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi sent his condolences to Patil's family on Friday stating that the Congress leader had a strong goal to improve society. Modi specified he was a qualified leader who had spent many years in public leadership as an MLA MP Union Minister and Speaker of both the Lok Sabha and the Maharashtra Assembly.

Rahul Gandhi the leader of the Congress declared that Patil's passing was an irreversible loss for the party. Also Gandhi posted on social media that, Shivraj Patil commitment to public service and his service to the country will always be remembered. Gandhi condolences are with the entire Patil family their supporters and well-wishers during this time of grief.