Veteran Congress leader and former Minister Shivajirao Girdhar Patil, better known as the father of late National Award winning actress Smita Patil, died at leelavati Hospital here on Saturday morning.
Patil was 92 and is two daughters Anita Deshmukh and Manya Seth. His another daughter Smita Patil died in 1986. His grandson Pratiek Babbar, son of Smita Patil, is an actor.
A freedom fighter, Patil was elected thrice to the Maharashtra legislative Assembly. He was elected to the Maharashtra legislative Council and served one term in the Rajya Sabha from 1992-1998.
Patil handled various ministries during the tenures of Chief Ministers Vasantrao Naik, S.B. Chavan and Vasantrao Patil in the 1950s-1970s. He was conferred the Padma Bhushan in 2013 for services to the cooperative movement in Maharashtra.
In between, he briefly flirted with the Samajwadi Party and Bahujan Samaj Party, but remained a Congressman at heart and committed to the cause of the cooperative sectors.
In 1996, on the 10th death anniversary of his actress daughter, he set up the ‘Smita Patil Charitable Trust’ which runs a public school in Dahiwad village of his native Dhule district imparting quality education to rural children.
Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi expressed his condolences on the demise of Patil today.
Condoling the passing of Patil, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis described him “a stalwart of the cooperation movement” in the state. “He made a significant contribution to the Indian freedom struggle. After Independence, he played a major role in politics, social, cooperation movement and education fields. His role in the development of the sugar cooperative sector brought international laurels,” Fadnavis said in a message.