Bidar, 17 Jan

Former minister Dr Bhimanna Khandre (102), who had been suffering from age-related ailments, died at his residence.

Dr Bhimanna Khandre had been unwell for quite some time due to old age. As he had been experiencing breathing difficulties and fluctuations in blood pressure for about a week, he was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in the city. A few days ago, he was brought back home, where he breathed his last.

His son, Eshwar Khandre, is currently serving as the Minister for Forests, Ecology and Environment and also as the District In-charge Minister for Bidar. His grandson, Sagar Khandre, is the sitting Member of Parliament from Bidar district.

Political career

Bhimanna Khandre entered public life in 1953 by becoming the first elected president of the Bhalki Town Municipality. He entered the Legislative Assembly for the first time in 1962 and went on to serve four terms as an MLA and two terms as a Member of the Legislative Council. He also served as the Transport Minister in the cabinet of M. Veerappa Moily.

A stalwart of the cooperative movement and a leader deeply concerned about farmers’ welfare, Bhimanna Khandre served as the founder chairman of the Bidar Cooperative Sugar Factory at Hallikhed and the Mahatma Gandhi Sugar Factory at Hunaji.

Architect of Karnataka’s unification

Bhimanna Khandre played a key role in the implementation of the Naranja and Karanja irrigation projects. As a freedom fighter and a leader of the Hyderabad liberation movement, he strongly opposed the atrocities of the Razakars. During the linguistic reorganisation of states, he worked tirelessly to ensure that the Bidar district remained part of Karnataka. In recognition of this contribution, he was honoured with the Suvarna Ekikarana State Award.

As president of the Shantivardhak Education Institutions, he played a major role in promoting higher education for girls by establishing the Akka Mahadevi College in Bidar and an engineering college in Bhalki, thereby shaping the future of thousands of students. Notably, he even relinquished his ministerial post to establish the engineering college in his constituency of Bhalki.

As the national president of the Veerashaiva Lingayat Mahasabha, he worked to unite the community and demonstrated his organisational strength by expanding the membership of the Mahasabha from a few thousand to over one lakh.

Rahul Gandhi condoles the demise of former minister Bhimanna Khandre:

In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Rahul Gandhi expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Bhimanna Khandre. He said Khandre was a freedom fighter and an educationist who dedicated his life to the service of the people of Karnataka. Rahul Gandhi also prayed that God grant strength to the bereaved Khandre family to bear this loss.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah expressed deep sorrow over the passing of Bhimanna Khandre, describing him as a senior leader and veteran politician of the state. He said that the demise of a towering leader who lived by the ideals of the Sharanas is an irreparable loss to Karnataka.

In a post on X, the Chief Minister noted that Bhimanna Khandre had participated in the freedom struggle under the leadership of Mahatma Gandhi and later played a prominent role in the Karnataka unification movement. He recalled that Khandre stood firmly to ensure that Bidar district remained within Karnataka and succeeded in that historic effort. “The footsteps of Bhimanna Khandre will remain etched forever in this soil,” he said.

Offering his final respects, Siddaramaiah said that Bhimanna Khandre had made meaningful use of every opportunity life gave him in the service of society. He prayed for eternal peace for the departed soul and strength for the bereaved family members and countless admirers to bear the loss.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will arrive in Bhalki on Saturday evening to participate in the last rites of former minister Bhimanna Khandre.

He will depart from Bengaluru at 2.30pm and arrive at the Bidar airport at 3.30pm. At 4.30pm, he will attend the funeral of Bhimanna Khandre at Shantidham, near Chikkalachanda on the outskirts of Bhalki, according to a statement issued by the Chief Minister’s Office.

The last rites will be performed today at 5pm at Shantidham on Chikalchand Road in Bhalki, beside the samadhi of his wife, Smt. Lakshmibai, in accordance with Veerashaiva Lingayat traditions.

Providing this information, his son Eshwar Khandre said that after the final public viewing, the mortal remains will be taken in a procession and the last rites will be conducted at Shantidham as per Veerashaiva Lingayat customs.