Murli Deora

{{Short description|Indian politician, Mayor of Mumbai (1937–2014)}}

{{Infobox officeholder

| name = Murli Deora

| image =Murli Deora addressing at the Annual Economic Editors’ Conference-2008, oraganised by the Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Information & Broadcasting, Govt. of India, in New Delhi on November 26, 2008 (1).jpg

| caption = Deora in 2008

| birth_date = 10 January 1937

| birth_place = Bombay, Bombay Presidency, British India

| death_date = 24 November 2014
(aged 77)

| death_place = Mumbai, Maharashtra, India

| residence = Mumbai

| constituency =

| term_start = 29 January 2006

| term_end = 19 January 2011

| predecessor = Mani Shankar Aiyar

| successor = Jaipal Reddy

| party = Indian National Congress

| alma_mater = Bombay University

| religion =

| spouse =

| office2 = Member of Parliament, Rajya Sabha

| constituency2 = Maharashtra

| term_start2 = 2002

| term_end2 = 2014

| order = Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas

| children = Milind Deora{{cite news |title=Political dynasties in Maharashtra |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/political-dynasties-in-maharashtra-101711456983784.html |access-date=15 December 2024 |publisher=Hindustantimes |date=27 May 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241215143308/https://www.hindustantimes.com/cities/mumbai-news/political-dynasties-in-maharashtra-101711456983784.html |archive-date=15 December 2024}}

}}

Murli Deora (10 January 1937 – 24 November 2014) was an Indian politician, businessman, and social worker. He was the Mayor of Mumbai, a Member of Parliament in both the Upper and Lower Houses, and a Minister of Cabinet rank. He was a member of the Indian National Congress.

Early life

Deora was born in Bombay in a Marwari family,{{Cite web |last=Patel |first=Aakar |author-link=Aakar Patel |date=10 February 2011 |title=BJP's sole currency is its anger |url=https://www.livemint.com/Leisure/yEjs0XsHbJsNnT1Mi4xzaL/BJP8217s-sole-currency-is-its-anger.html |access-date=20 July 2024 |website=Mint}} and received his BA from Bombay University. His family came from Laxmangarh in Rajasthan.{{Cite web |date=21 January 2013 |title=Down memory lane |url=https://www.business-standard.com/article/opinion/down-memory-lane-110031600015_1.html |access-date=20 July 2024 |website=Business Standard}}

Landmark case

In 2001, Deora won a landmark Supreme Court case that ended smoking in public places. In the absence of statutory provisions at that time, the Court prohibited smoking in public places such as auditoriums, hospital buildings, health institutions, educational institutions, libraries, court buildings, public offices, and public conveyances, including the railways.{{cite web|url=http://www.cehat.org/humanrights/caselaws.pdf|title=Environment and Health by Adv. Vijay Hiremath on Page 116|accessdate=1 June 2014|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150923201524/http://www.cehat.org/humanrights/caselaws.pdf|archivedate=23 September 2015|df=dmy-all}}

{{quote|"Tobacco is universally regarded as one of the major public health hazards and is responsible directly or indirectly for an estimated eight lakh deaths annually in the country. It has also been found that treatment of tobacco related diseases and the loss of productivity caused therein cost the country almost Rs. 13,500 crores annually, which more than offsets all the benefits accruing in the form of revenue and employment generated by tobacco industry".|Supreme Court of India|Murli S. Deora vs Union Of India And Ors on 2 November 2001}}

Political career

The industrialist and social worker-turned-politician began his work with the Bombay Municipal Corporation in 1968 when he was elected as a corporator. Later, in 1977, Deora was elected mayor of Bombay with the support of Shiv Sena. He first contested the Lok Sabha polls from Bombay South constituency in 1980 but lost to the Janata Party's Ratansingh Rajda though, in the subsequent election, Deora defeated BJP's Jayawantiben Mehta by a huge margin. He was re-elected in 1989, 1991 but lost to Mehta in 1996 and 1999 before his son, Milind, defeated Mehta to go to the Lok Sabha from the same constituency in 2004. Deora is a trusted aide of the Gandhi family in Mumbai. He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2004 and was inducted in the Union cabinet as petroleum minister in January 2006.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

From 29 January 2006 to 18 January 2011, he served as Union Minister for Petroleum and Natural Gas. From 18 January 2011 to 12 July 2011, he served as Minister of Corporate Affairs

He was president of the Mumbai Regional Congress Committee for 22 years from 1981 to 2003.{{usurped|[https://web.archive.org/web/20030910034502/http://www.hinduonnet.com/2003/03/16/stories/2003031605000102.htm Deora quits post]}} The Hindu

In the Congress re-election in 2009, Deora retained the portfolio of Petroleum and Natural Gas in the second government under Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.{{citation needed|date=March 2020}}

Philanthropy

=Free computer education=

As Vice-Chairman of Bhavan's Gandhi Institute of Computer Technology, Deora made it his mission to spread computer literacy for better job opportunities by kickstarting the Free Computer Education Program.{{Cite web|url=http://www.gatesfoundation.org/Media-Center/Press-Releases/2000/09/JobOriented-Computer-Training-Programme|title=Gandhi Institute Receives US$5 Million Grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation|website=Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation|access-date=2017-01-07}}

In 2000, he brought Bill Gates to the center, which received a US$ 5 million grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation for its good work.{{Cite web|url=https://www.bhavansgi.in/|title=Home|website=www.bhavansgi.in|access-date=2017-01-07}}

Today, the program has over 56 centres all over India, and over 3,56,519 people have benefited from it.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

=Eye camps=

Deora believed everyone had the right to see properly, and organised over 78 eye camps in Mumbai, where more than 5000 to 7000 people have had their eyes tested and receive free spectacles, as well as free eye surgery and in every camp 300 to 400 Free Cataract operation with Pathological check-up for operation has been done.{{citation needed|date=February 2017}}

Personal life

Murli Deora was married at a young age to Hema Deora, a lady from his own community and similar social background, in a match arranged by their families in the usual Indian way. They had two sons.

One of their sons, Milind Murli Deora, followed his father into politics and was Lok Sabha member from Mumbai.{{Cite web|url=http://zeenews.india.com/news/india/congress-leader-murli-deora-passes-away_1503825.html|title = Veteran Congressman Murli Deora dead, leaders mourn demise|date = 24 November 2014}} He is married to Pooja Deora, daughter of Manmohan Shetty, founder of Adlabs, a prominent media and entertainment firm.

The couple's other son, Mukul Deora, is married to Nitasha Deora. Born a member of the Thapar business family, Nitasha Deora is the daughter of Vikram Thapar and great-granddaughter of Karam Chand Thapar.

Death and tributes

After Deora's death, both houses of Parliament were adjourned on the first day of the winter session as a mark of respect for him, as well as other members who had died.{{Cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2014/11/24/reactions-murli-deora-veteran-indian-politician-dies/|title=Reactions: Murli Deora, Veteran Indian Politician, Dies|last=Agarwal|first=Vibhuti|newspaper=WSJ|access-date=2017-01-07}}

Tributes came in regardless of party lines, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressing his sadness and describing Deora as "a dedicated leader," whose "warm nature made him popular across party lines."{{Cite news|url=https://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2014/11/24/reactions-murli-deora-veteran-indian-politician-dies/|title=Reactions: Murli Deora, Veteran Indian Politician, Dies|last=Agarwal|first=Vibhuti|newspaper=WSJ|access-date=2017-01-07}}

Finance Minister Arun Jaitley penned a front-page tribute to Deora in The Times of India, calling him "extremely helpful" and someone whose "strength lay in the fact that he never criticized even those he did not like".{{Cite news|url=http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Mr-Murli-Deora-senator-from-Manhattan/articleshow/45265482.cms|title = 'Mr Murli Deora, senator from Manhattan' | India News| website=The Times of India | date=25 November 2014 }}

HDFC Chairman Deepak Parekh said, "he was a very warm and kind-hearted person, and never turned away any person who came seeking his help and always kept his word."{{Cite news |last=Gadgil |first=Makarand |date=24 November 2014 |title=Policy |url=http://www.livemint.com/Politics/HIJxun28ofiIqU4Zk1jAPJ/Congress-leader-Murli-Deora-passes-away.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141125032201/http://www.livemint.com/Politics/HIJxun28ofiIqU4Zk1jAPJ/Congress-leader-Murli-Deora-passes-away.html |archive-date=25 November 2014 |url-status=dead|access-date=2017-01-07 |newspaper=livemint}}{{Cite web |last=Gadgil |first=Makarand |date=2014-11-24 |title=Congress leader Murli Deora dies |url=https://www.livemint.com/Politics/HIJxun28ofiIqU4Zk1jAPJ/Congress-leader-Murli-Deora-passes-away.html |access-date=2024-01-24 |website=mint |language=en}}

Pranay Gupta, for The Huffington Post, noted that, "at a personal level, he was incorruptible", and that, "perhaps more than any Indian politician of his generation, Murli was genuinely liked in public and private. That's because he had a good word for all, and extended a helpful hand to many. To be a politician means to serve — and serve Murli did, in a land where ministers and bureaucrats often ignore the masses except during election time, where high officials expect their constituents to genuflect and undertake a thousand salaams before even being allowed to enter the corridors of power. But Murli's door was always open."{{Cite web|url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/pranay-gupte/murli-deora-the-last-of-i_b_6211606.html|title=Murli Deora: The Last of India's Tammany Hall Chieftains|last1=author|first1=Pranay Gupte Bestselling|last2=historian|date=26 November 2014|website=The Huffington Post|access-date=2017-01-07|last3=biographer|last4=Correspondent|first4=Foreign}}

Shankar Aiyar spoke about Deora's humble beginnings, about "the Murli who wore the same set of clothes — washed at night and ironed "with a lotta with coal in it"; the Murli who hung outside the neighbour's window to listen to songs and studied under the street lamp at Babulnath", and how, as a powerful politician, he used his contacts to help the poor and needy. How "every new billion-dollar acquaintance was converted into a philanthropist — convinced to donate a heart lung machine to a municipal hospital, pay for an eye camp, fund the computer literacy for jobs programme at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, and more."{{Cite news|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/Murli-Deora-led-life-like-game-of-bridge/articleshow/45265645.cms|title=Murli Deora led life like game of bridge|website=The Times of India|date=25 November 2014 |access-date=2017-01-07}}