Former Speaker of Odisha legislative Assembly Yudhisthir Das passed away at a private hospital here on Tuesday. A bachelor, he was 91. He was suffering from various old age-related ailments.
Das, an erstwhile Socialist, was an honest politician of the Chaudhary Charan Singh era. He was president of the lok Dal State unit. A two-time MlA from the Kisannagar seat in Cuttack district, Das was elected to the Assembly for the first time in 1990 on a Janata Dal ticket when late Biju Patnaik was heading the party in the State and later became Chief Minister in 1990.
Patnaik proposed to Das to be Assembly Speaker. Das said “I am a first-time MlA and do not know anything about handling the Assembly affairs.” Patnaik said the job of the Speaker is to handle MlAs, and if somebody shouts at you, ask him to shut his mouth and who is not participating, ask him to speak.
There is nothing else, and being an honest man you can handle the Assembly smoothly. And Das continued as an efficient Speaker for full five years. Das was all along a champion of Odia language and tried his best to promote it by organising a World Conference on Odia. He was also a nature.
later as an MlA from 1995 to 2000, Das participated in the discussions in the House in a positive constructive manner. Governor SC Jamir, Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, PCC president Jayadev Jena, former Speaker Sarat Kar, Samajwadi Party State president Rabi Behera and several other leaders cutting across party lines condoled Das’ demise.