India

Rajiv’s friend and fmr petroleum minister Captain Satish Sharma passes away

The former union minister of Petroleum and chemicals during the tenure of prime minister PV Narsimha Rao Captain Satish Sharma breathed his last on Wednesday at the age of 73. He passed away at Goa after suffering from prolonged cancer. A friend of late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, Captain Satish Sharma entered active politics after Rajiv Gandhi joined active politics due to the assassination of his mother, prime minister Indira Gandhi in 1984. Leaving behind his wife, son and a daughter Captain Satish Sharma was the union minister of Petroleum and Chemicals in prime minister Narsimha Rao’s tenure from 1993 to 1996. He was member of parliament thrice, first from Amethi and Rai Bareilly Lok Sabha constituency and thereafter as Rajya Sabha MP from Uttarakhand, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh from 2004 to 2016. Earlier a pilot by profession, Captain Satish Sharma was a Gandhi family loyalist who went into political oblivion after retiring as Rajya Sabha MP in 2016. After Rajiv Gandhi’s assassination in 1991 at Sriperumbudur, he was elected from Amethi parliamentary constituency. After 1998, Captain Satish Sharma was shifted to Rai Bareilly where he remained member of parliament till 2004, leaving the seat for Congress president Sonia Gandhi. Born in 1947, a commercial pilot Captain Satish Sharma left his job to server the Congress at the behest of Rajiv Gandhi when he joined active politics after her mother’s assassination. He remained a loyal Congressman till his death. The Congress leader Randeep Singh Surjewala while expressing his anguish of the sad demise of Captain Satish Sharma tweeted : Deeply saddened at the demise of Capt. Satish Sharma, former union minister. Captain Sharma epitomised dedication and loyalty. Condolences to the family and friends.

The CPM general secretary Sitaram Yachury also expressed his condolences on Captain Sharma’s demise tweeting: Sad that Captain Satish Sharma departed. Long standing colleague in the Rajya Sabha, he was the member of parliamentary standing committee that I chaired for many years. Deepest condolences to his family tweeted CPM general secretary. While the Rajya Sabha MP Captain Sharma looked after the political, social affairs of Rajiv Gandhi’s parliamentary constituency of Amethi while he was prime minister, with immense dedication looking after the grievances of its electorates with his office being 34 Rakab Ganj Road, New Delhi.

Former Member of Parliament and Congress leader who had worked with Captain Satish Sharma for years together Harikesh Bahadur condoled his senior’s death pronouncing him as an embodiement of great human qualities. He tweeted: Saddened to know about the demise of Captain Satish Sharma hi. A very straight forward and helpful person, he embodied great human qualities. My heartiest condolences and sympathies to family and friends. May God bless the soul to rest in peace tweeted Harikesh Bahadur.

Pic: Tribune

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Sunil Negi

Sunil Negi is a senior journalist and president of Uttarakhand Journalists Forum ( Regd). He usually writes on socio political subjects and have been contributing articles in print media for the last several years. Mr. Sunil Negi had been felicitated by All India Achievers conference's Pride of India and excellence awards apart from several other recognitions. He has translated a book on ecological disaster of Uttarakhand of June 2013 and edited and published two editions of Uttaranchal's Who's Who.

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