Veteran Congress leader Bheemanna Khandre passes away

Congress leader, freedom fighter, cooperative sector pioneer and former Transport Minister Bheemanna Khandre passed away at his residence in Bhalki, Bidar district, on Friday night (January 16).

He was 103. He breathed his last around 10.50 p.m. after battling age-related ailments and respiratory complications over the past few days.

He is survived by two sons — Forest Minister Eshwar  Khandre and Bidar DCC Bank president Amar Kumar Khandre — and four daughters. His younger son, former legislator Vijaykumar Khandre, passed away in 2019.

Mr. Bheemanna Khandre will be laid to rest on Saturday (January 17).

Lingayat leader

Mr. Khandre, a towering figure in the public life of Kalyana Karnataka and a senior leader of the Veerashaiva-Lingayat community, had been admitted to a private hospital in Bidar earlier and was later shifted home, where treatment continued. Confirming the death, Mr. Eshwar Khandre said the veteran leader passed away peacefully at home.

Over the past week, seers of various mutts, Ministers, legislators, leaders across party lines and members of the public visited Bhalki to enquire about his health, while special prayers were held at temples for his recovery.

Lawyer by profession

A lawyer by profession, Mr. Khandre entered public life in 1953 as the first elected president of the Bhalki Municipality. He was elected to 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 Transport Minister in the M. Veerappa Moily Ministry.

As a freedom fighter, he actively participated in the Hyderabad Liberation Movement, opposed the excesses of the Razakars and played a key role in ensuring that Bidar district remained part of Karnataka during linguistic reorganisation exercise and Karnataka Unification Movement, for which he was honoured with the Karnataka Ekikarana Award.

Co-op. movement

Mr. Khandre made a lasting contribution to the cooperative and education sectors. He was the founder-president of the Bidar Cooperative Sugar Factory at Hallikhed and the Mahatma Gandhi Sugar Factory at Hunaji, and played an important role in the implementation of the Naranja and Karanja irrigation projects.

As president of Shantivardhak Education Society, he established institutions, including Akkamahadevi College in Bidar and an engineering college in Bhalki, contributing significantly to higher education in the region.