Bidar, 17 JAN

The last rites of veteran Congress leader and former State Minister Dr Bhimanna Khandre were conducted on Saturday with full state honours amid fanfare. He had passed away on Friday night at the age of 103 due to age related ailments, his son Forest, Ecology and Environment Minister Eshwar B Khandre said.

The last rites were conducted at Shantidham as per Veerashaiva Lingayat customs.

Born on 8 January 1923, in Gorta (B) village of Bhalki taluk in Bidar district, Khandre was a freedom fighter who participated in the Hyderabad Liberation Movement. Known as a “Lok Nayak,” he made lasting contributions to cooperation, education and social service, and was honoured with the Suvarna Ekikaran State Award.

Khandre entered politics in 1953 as the president of the Bhalki Municipal Council and went on to serve four terms as MLA and two terms as MLC.

He was the transport minister in the M Veerappa Moily cabinet.

A pioneer of the cooperative movement and a champion of farmers’ welfare, he played a key role in the implementation of the Naranja and Karanja irrigation projects.

Condolences poured in from leaders across parties, including Rahul Gandhi, Mallikarjun Kharge and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Basavaraj Bommai, who recalled his role in the freedom struggle and Karnataka’s unification.