Janata Dal (United) Rajya Sabha MP and industrialist Mahendra Prasad passed away at a private hospital in Delhi, his party said on Monday.
Prasad, 81, died on Sunday night after battling a prolonged illness.
Estimated to be one of the richest Members of Parliament, the founder of Aristo Pharmaceuticals was a seven-time Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar and was also elected to the Lok Sabha once.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar were also among those condoling his death.
Modi said, “Saddened by the passing away of Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Mahendra Prasad ji. He served in Parliament for many years and was at the forefront of many community service endeavors. He always spoke for the welfare of Bihar and its people. Condolences. To his family. Om Shanti.”
Kumar said that his death is a great loss to the industry as well as to society and politics.
Prasad was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980 on a Congress ticket. He remained associated with the party for a long period of time and later shifted his loyalty as its fortunes in the state turned bad.
He joined the Janata Dal and then its branches, first the Rashtriya Janata Dal and then the JD(U).
His name was often coined with “Raja”, an indicator of his immense fortune and the fact that any change in the political season in his home state meant little to him except for a brief hiatus in the Rajya Sabha since 1985. Remained as it is. PTI KR DV DV
This story has been published without modification in text from a wire agency feed. Only the title has been changed.
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