Former Union minister Sharad Yadav dies at 75

Sharad Yadav, former Union minister and RJD leader died on Thursday at 75, his daughter, Subhashini Sharad Yadav announced.

India Today reported her, confirming the news on Twitter saying, “Papa nahi rahe (Papa is no more).”

The former minister’s health had deteriorated and he was admitted to Gurugram’s Fortis hospital.

According to the news website, the hospital issued a statement saying Sharad Yadav was brought to the emergency ward in an “unconscious and unresponsive state” and he did not have “any pulse or recordable blood pressure”.

The hospital said Yadav could not be revived despite the health officials’ best efforts and he was declared dead at 10:19 pm.

Yadav, one of the most colourful socialist leaders of the country, was said to have remained at the centre of Janata politics for decades.

Sharad Yadav was a three-time member of the Rajya Sabha and a seven-time Lok Sabha MP.

Sharad Yadav, who became an MP from three states (Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar), was seen to have forced then Prime Minister VP Singh’s hand in 1990 in implementing the Mandal Commission report granting reservation to the Other Backward Classes (OBCs) that changed the course of Indian politics.

Sharad Yadav’s demand for a caste-based quota within the Women’s Reservation Bill was seen to have caused the UPA II government to hold back on the law.

You can read the rest of his story in India Today.