Two-time Chief Minister of Maharashtra, Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh was first elected as village headman (sarpanch) and later went on to become the state Chief Minister and a union minister. He was a charismatic leader with friends across political spectrum. He was father of famous Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh.
Attachment between Bollywood actor Riteish Deshmukh with his late father Vilasrao Deshmukh is well known. The father son duo shared a very close bond and was seen concern towards each other. Though three years have passed but for Riteish the memories of his father still remains afresh. This year on his death anniversary Riteish shared an emotional post on social media.
“Missing you comes in waves, today am drowning. #3Years,” Riteish tweeted.
An iconic leader and a two-time chief minister of Maharashtra Vilasrao Deshmukh died in 2012 due to multi-organ failure. His absence meant a lot for his adorable son Riteish. The actor after the demise of his father Vilasrao Deshmukh though made no public display of his feelings but his grief showed in the way remained vanished from the social scene for long. Talking about his father Riteish says that life will never be the same again with a huge void hard to fill.
Personal Life
Born on 26 May 1945 in his ancestral home in Babhalgaon village of Latur district Vilasrao Dagadojirao Deshmukh had a degree in law. He was married to Vaishali Deshmukh and was father to Amit Deshmukh, Riteish Deshmukh and Dheeraj Deshmukh.
Education and Political Career
Vilasrao Deshmukh, the man who had once famously said, 'I dream of turning Mumbai into a Shanghai' was undoubtedly one of the tallest leaders of India in general and Maharashtra in particular. Born in a family of landlords in 1926 he pursued law from the Pune University. From the very beginning he thought for welfare of the people of the region which led to his entry into the world of politics. His first major political achievement came in 1974 when he became the Sarpanch of Babhalgaon in Latur district. There was no stopping since them. A successful stint as President of Osmanabad District Youth Congress from 1975 to 1978 propelled Mr. Deshmukh to mainstream politics in 1980.
He successfully contested Maharashtra Legislative Assembly elections and won subsequently in 1980, 1985 and 1990. During his long and illustrious political career he served various ministries. His journey from a village Sarpanch to Chief Minister of Maharastra and a leader of incredible talent is an inspiration for all those looking to serve the countrymen without compromising on level of politics.Vilasrao Deshmukh was a true fighter which was demonstrated in the way he made comeback into Maharastra Politics after losing his seat in 1995 by a margin of 35,000. He was re-elected to the State Legislature from Latur Constituency in 1999 with a record margin of nearly 91,000 in two successive elections, the highest in Maharashtra. He attained pinnacle of success when sworn in as Chief Minister of Maharashtra on 18 October 1999. He remained at the helm until 17 January 2003. A man of calibre he was re-elected to the Legislative Assembly from Latur Constituency in October 2004.The two-time Maharashtra chief minister had wide ranging experience with friends cutting across political lines. After resigning from the post of Chief Minister in 2008 he got elected for Rajya Sabha and was given the portfolio of Union Minister for Heavy Industries and Public Enterprises. Later on he was appointed Minister of Rural Development and again as Minister of Science and Technology and Minister of Earth Sciences on 12 July 2011.Vilasrao Deshmukh was the first to raise the issues relating to the plight of farmers in Maharastra. As a chief minister of Maharashtra he will ever be remembered for taking up the cause of farmers as it was he who ask for farmer loan waiver in UPA-I. This was one of the prime reason because of which UPA came to power in 2009. Vilasrao was a great strategist.
Criticism
Just like any public figure in new Vilasrao also did not remained away from controversies. He was accused for taking noted Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma to the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower Hotel after the terror attack of 26/11. Respecting the feeling of the general public he offered to resign, which was accepted by his party. Adarsh Housing Scam further dented his image. He was accused of owning two flats through proxies in the Adarsh Housing Society in Mumbai. The scam is pending for further investigation.
Illness and Death
Vilasrao Deshmukh was first elected village headman (sarpanch) and later went on to become the state Chief Minister and a union minister. Diagnosed with liver cancer he died of multiple-organ failure 14 August 2012 at Global Hospitals, Chennai at the age of 67.
Condolence Messages
Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh: Mr Deshmukh was a trusted colleague and an able administrator who worked at Panchayat, State and Central levels with admirable dedication.
Narendra Modi ?: Sad to know about the demise of Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh. May his soul rest in peace. My condolences to his family.
Madhuri Dixit-Nene: Sorry to hear that Vilasrao Deshmukh has passed away. Our condolences go out to his family.
Bipasha Basu: RIP Vilasrao Deshmukh Sir!Strength To you @Riteishd and family!Extremely sad news
Vishal Dadlani: RIP Shri Vilasrao Deshmukh. I wish @Riteishd and his family, strength and forbearance to cope with this tragic loss.
Nikhil Advani: @Riteishd my prayers and thoughts with you in such a difficult time. Take care my friend. #RIP Vilasrao Deshmukhji.
Rajeev Shukla ?: Extremely sad on hearing about the passing away of my dear friend Vilasrao who I visited on sunday! May his soul rest in Peace
Shabana Azmi: Vilasrao Deshmukh no more.Too young to die.as CM he gave Nivara a lot of support for our slum rehabilitation project Condolences 2 d family
Akshay Kumar: The man who had Mumbai's Shanghai dream is no more. RIP Vilasrao Deshmukh ji, a visionary and the father of my dear friend @Riteishd. May God give you strength.
Vijay Mallya: Very sorry to hear about the sad passing away of Vilasrao Deshmukh. He was an outstanding leader and a friend.
After his death the Deshmukh family continued to fulfil his vision through various philanthropist works. During his life time the iconic leader had founded the Manjra Charitable Trust which runs a number of colleges in Latur & Mumbai. The trust looks after the affairs of various hospitals and educational institutes including Manajara Ayurvedic Medical College & Hospital Latur, Rajiv Gandhi Institute of Technology at Versova, Andheri in Mumbai, Sushiladevi Deshmukh Vidyalaya at Airoli, Navi Mumbai. He also founded Marathwada Mitrmandal under which there are two engineering colleges and one commerce college in Pune.
Spouse : Vaishali Deshmukh
Children: Amit Deshmukh, Riteish Deshmukh, Dheeraj DeshmukhRelatives: Genelia Deshmukh (Daughter-in-Law)
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