MUMBAI: Former Maharashtra chief minister and senior Shiv Sena leader Manohar Joshi passed away on Friday morning. He was 86 and is survived by his son and two daughters. After a heart attack, Manohar Joshi was admitted to private hospital in Mumbai where he breathed his last early Friday morning.
A former Lok Sabha Speaker, Manohar Joshi was Shiv Sena’s suave face at a time when the party was known for its rustic and street politics.
Joshi’s last rites were performed with full state honours in the presence of former chief ministers Sharad Pawar, Sushilkumar Shinde and Uddhav Thackeray. Condoling his death, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Joshi was a veteran leader who spent years in public service and held various responsibilities at the municipal, state and national levels.
As Maharashtra CM, he worked tirelessly for the state’s progress and also made noteworthy contributions as a Union minister, the PM said.
During his tenure as the Lok Sabha Speaker, he strove to make parliamentary processes more vibrant and participative, the PM said. Union minister Nitin Gadkari, who was a member of the Maharashtra ministry when Joshi was the CM, said the state had lost a cultured face of politics.
Joshi was born on December 2, 1937 in village Nandavi in Raigad district. He came to Mumbai for higher education, and was later inspired by the son-of-the-soil campaign by his mentor Balasaheb Thackeray. Joshi was the first non-Congress chief minister in Maharashtra when the Shiv Sena-BJP coalition came to power in 1995. He outsmarted his uncle Sudhir Joshi who was frontrunner for the post.
However Manohar Joshi was unceremoniously told to resign by Balasaheb over a land controversy in Pune involving his son-in-law Girish Oak. This happened when barely a year was left for the completion of his five-year tenure.
Joshi initially worked as a clerk in Asia’s richest civic body, the BMC, and later pursued MA and LLB. He joined Shiv Sena besides developing coaching classes and technical education in his business known as Kohinoor Institute. Later his son Unmesh took over it and diversified it into real estate and hospitality.
He was a municipal councillor in Mumbai during 1968-70 and chairman of the civic body’s standing committee in 1970. He was the Mayor of Mumbai during 1976-1977.
Joshi was then elected to the Maharashtra Legislative Council in 1972. After serving three terms in the Council, Joshi was elected to the Maharashtra Assembly in 1990 and was the Leader of the Opposition in the assembly during 1990-91.
In the 1999 general election, Joshi won from the Mumbai North-Central Lok Sabha Constituency as a Shiv Sena candidate, and was later Union minister of Heavy Industries and Public Enterprise. He was also a Rajya Sabha member.
Apart from politics, Joshi was also an avid reader and prolific writer. He penned 15 books on various subjects while 17 books were written on him by other authors in various languages. He completed his PhD at the age of 72 on the growth of Shiv Sena.
During his chief minister’s tenure, Joshi approved the construction of 50 flyovers in Mumbai. At that time, BJP’s Nitin Gadkari was in the Public Works Department. Besides, he established Maharashtra Chamber of Commerce and Industry in 1994. Joshi was always loyal to the Thackeray family; he worked with Balasaheb, Uddhav, and Aaditya Thackeray.
Joshi also faced several controversies. He along with Balasaheb Thackeray was accused of inciting violence against Muslims in 1992-92.