Family members and well-wishers pay their last respects to Patangrao Kadam at Bharti Vidyapeeth College, Dhankawadi, on Saturday morning. (Express Photo by Pavan Khengre)
Amid a sea of mourners and teary-eyed villagers, senior Congress leader Patangrao Kadam, who was among the tallest politicians of Maharashtra, was cremated in his native Wangi village in Kadegaon taluka of Sangli district on Saturday. His son, Vishwajeet Kadam, also a Congress leader, lit the funeral pyre around 5.30 pm. Kadam died in a Mumbai hospital on Friday evening following a brief illness. Top politicians from Maharashtra, cutting across party lines, were present for the funeral. Among them were Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, NCP leader Ajit Pawar and several top Congress leaders.
Kadam was a politician admired even by the Opposition, an educationist at heart, who reached out to the poorest of poor students, a sugar baron who supported farmers, and someone who remained a social activist to the core, said his aides and well-wishers.
A staunch Congress loyalist, Kadam never left the party, even during its worst phases, and always led from the front. In fact, he always used to chide those who left the party. Kadam won the Assembly seat from Kadegaon as many as seven times. Congress leaders said whenever there was a change of guard in Maharashtra, Kadam always remained in the race for the chief ministerial post. “Though he never made it, he never rebelled and ensured that the party remained united,” said a Congress leader.
During his ministerial tenure of 20 years, Kadam never faced any charges of corruption or irregularities, said Congress spokesperson Sachin Sawant. “Though he held several ministerial berths, he never faced any charges during his tenure,” said Sawant.
Congress leaders said Kadam was a superb orator, and members of the ruling party, as well as Opposition members, listened to him with rapt attention. “Sometimes, he said some things angrily, but no one took it seriously because the very next moment, he would be chatting with you as if nothing had happened a few minutes ago,” said Sawant.
Sawant said Kadam’s death was an irreparable loss for the Congress, at a time when the party was trying to make a comeback. “He had a deep connect with the masses, especially in rural areas, because of the kind of work he did. I think no other Congress leader had as much following in rural areas as Kadam did,” he said.
Kadam’s work in the field of education is considered unparalleled in Maharashtra. “… Pune is called the seat of education and the credit for it should go to Kadam,” said Sawant.
Echoing these views, Professor Mukund Sarda, principal of New Law College under Bharati Vidyapeeth Deemed University, said Kadam set up as many as 180 educational institutes, including schools, as well as engineering and medical colleges.
“Most of his schools and colleges are in rural areas. He believed that no one should be denied an education for want of money. And that exactly is the reason why every year, he waived off Rs 5 crore in fees for students,” said Sarda.
He said Kadam will always be hailed for ushering in quality education. “A testimony to this was the management institute set up by Kadam in Delhi, affiliated to the Pune University, though the university does not control institutes set up outside its jurisdiction,” he said.
Kadam started off as a teacher and remained the Chancellor of Bharati Vidyapeeth till his death. He also set up sugar mills and two spinning mills. Arjun Kharat, an activist from Sangli, said, “It is because of Patangrao that two irrigation projects in Sangli district, which were delayed, were completed… they helped ease the water scarcity in Kadegaon and neighbouring areas”.
“Kadam ensured that in several villages in Kadegaon taluka, one member from each family got a job,” added Kharat.
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