Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader and Maharashtra Agriculture Minister Pandurang P. Fundkar passed away early on Thursday following a massive heart attack.
Fundkar, 67, was admitted to the K.J. Somaiya Hospital on Wednesday where his condition reportedly deteriorated followed by the massive heart attack. He breathed his last at around 4.35 a.m. on Thursday.
He is survived by his wife Sunita and two children, including son Akash who is a sitting BJP legislator from Khamgaon.
Fundkar's body was taken to his native village in Khamgaon in Buldhana district of Vidarbha for the last rites scheduled on Friday morning.
Known as a soft-spoken, studious leader with excellent organisational skills, Fundkar served as a three-time Member of Parliament in the 9th, 10th and 11th Lok Sabha from Akola, besides as MLA and MLC in the state since his first election in 1978.
In 1991-1996, he served as the Maharashtra BJP President and contributed to its grassroots base, along with stalwarts like the former party leader the late Gopinath Munde and others.
Among the senior ministers in the cabinet of Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis since July 2016, Fundkar was among those who played an important role in the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Krishi Samman Yojana, or the Rs 34,000 crore farm loans waiver in June 2017.
Top BJP leaders in the country and the state, besides opposition leaders, paid rich tributes to Fundkar.
"His death is shocking and sad. He was a senior leader, guide and mentor with deep knowledge of agriculture, cooperation and other fields," said Fadnavis.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: "Saddened by the demise of Maharashtra's Agriculture Minister Shri Pandurang Fundkar. He made an invaluable contribution towards building the BJP in Maharashtra. He was also at the forefront of serving the farmers of the state. My thoughts are with his family and supporters."
"In his demise, Maharashtra has lost a good Parliamentarian," said Governor C.V. Rao in a condolence message.
The opposition Congress state President Ashok Chavan said the state has lost "a very senior and experienced leader who grappled the issues concerning agriculture, rural development and cooperation".
"Fundkar hailed from a very humble family but rose to great heights in politics. He worked all his life for the cause of farmers and downtrodden, and contributed in a big way to agriculture, cooperative movement and education," Chavan said.
Nationalist Congress Party's Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde and Congress' Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Assembly Radhakrishna Vikhe-Patil also expressed grief over Fundkar's demise.
--IANS
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