Nashik: Former Maharashtra minister and senior Congress leader ‘Vanadhipati’ Vinayakdada Patil passed away at a private hospital in Nashik following a brief illness. He breathed his last late on Friday night.
He was 80. Patil was earlier receiving treatment at a hospital in Mumbai, but was shifted to Nashik some days ago. On Friday, he was admitted to the private hospital in Nashik to get treatment for a kidney ailment, family sources said.
Patil, a close associate of NCP chief Sharad Pawar, had worked as the Industries, Cultural Affairs, Youth and Sports minister in the state. He was known for his contribution in the fields of agriculture and forestry and for Jatropha cultivation across the nation.
He was associated with various organisations such as Yashwantrao Chavan Pratishthan, Kusumagraj Pratishthan, Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University, Maratha Vidya Prasarak. He was instrumental in inculcating agriculture and forestry.
Renowned Marathi litterateur late V V Shirwadkar, popularly known as ‘Kusumagraj’, had given him the title of ‘Vanadhipati’. Patil is survived by two daughters, sons-in-law and grandchildren.
His mortal remains were consigned to flames on Saturday. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray expressed his grief over the demise of Patil. In a tweet, the Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) said that Patil, who once held the position of sarpanch, went on to become a minister in Maharashtra. He worked for the welfare of the state and farmers, it said.
