Senior Congress leader passes away, last rites in Sangli today

Senior Congress leader and former minister and educationist Patangrao Kadam, 73, died at Lilavati Hospital on Friday evening.

“He was on ventilator for four days due to his critical health condition. He died due to multiple organ failure around 9:50pm,” said Dr V Ravishankar, CEO of Lilavati Hospital.

In a tweet, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi said, “My deepest condolences on the unfortunate demise of Senior Congress leader and educationist Patangrao Kadam ji. This is an irreparable loss to the Congress party. My love and support to his family in this hour of grief.”

Kadam was admitted to the hospital due to renal dysfunction, but his condition deteriorated on Friday. He was founder and chancellor of Bharti Veedyappeeth – a deemed university. He was in the hospital for the last few days.

Kadam is survived by his son Vishwajeet, who is a politician, daughter Asmita Jagtap, wife Vijaymala, legislator, brother Mohanrao and three other brothers. He was a minister in the successive Congress government from 1991 to 2014.

He handled revenue, industries, education and forest departments.

He was the forest minister in 2014, when Congress was voted out of power in Maharashtra.

According to family members, the mortal remains of Kadam will be kept at his Pune bungalow on Saturday morning, for his followers to pay final respect.

The funeral will take place at the campus of the Sonhira sugar factory at Kudegaon in Sangli district. United Progressive Allliance chairperson and Congress leader Sonia Gandhi had visited him at Lilavati on Friday afternoon.

Born in a small village of Sonsal in Sangli, Kadam obtained a bachelor’s degree in law and master’s degree from the University of Pune. He completed his doctorate in management from the University of Pune. He founded Bharti Vidyapeeth, which has several campuses in Maharashtra and one in Delhi.