BENGALURU: Karnataka minister for co-operation and sugar HS Mahadeva Prasad died of heart attack on Tuesday morning at a private resort in Koppa, Chikkamagaluru district. The State government declared one day holiday for schools and offices and three-day mourning in the State.
The five-time MLA from Gundlupet Constituency in Chamarajanagar district was a close associate of chief minister Siddaramaiah and had arrived in Koppa to attend a programme. Prasad, who retired for the night at the resort was found dead when his personal aides went to check as he failed to come out of his room even after 8 AM.
The 58-year-old Prasad entered the State Assembly in 1994 and since then has been elected successively for 5 times--1994, 1999, 2004, 2008 and 2013. The soft-spoken, gentle leader was inducted into the coalition government of Dharam Singh as minister for food and civil supplies in 2004 and later he was made minister for Kannada and culture in HD Kumaraswamy government.
A staunch loyalist of chief minister Siddaramaiah, he quit Janata Dal (S) and joined the Congress along with Siddaramaiah in 2007.
Born on August 5, 1958, Prasad was a post-graduate in Political Science and started his public life by setting up Sangama Trust in 1980s and actively engaged in organising mass marriages, health camps and job fairs in Gundlupet.
He is survived by his wife Dr MC Mohana Kumari and son Ganesh Prasad.
Expressing shock and grief at the sudden death of Prasad, chief minister Siddaramaiah said, "The State has lost a humble, committed leader and I have lost a very good friend. He was a politician with spotlessly clean image and was a very efficient and committed minister who discharged his responsibilities with diligence."