Honesty was his forte

MYSORE: Unlike other netas, politics was not a profession for M Rajashekar Murthy, 89, who died in New Delhi on Sunday night. He gave top priority to honesty and integrity.
Neither did he compromise with his principles nor did he yield to any external pressure while taking decisions in six decades of political life. His political acumen came to the fore in 1989 when he, as finance minister in Veerendra Patil's cabinet, revived the economy.In early '90s, as revenue minister, he ordered a high-level inquiry into land grabbing in Mysore when the real estate business there was just picking up.
Born at Malangi village in T Narsipur taluk, his early education was in Mysore. Though he got a law degree from Lucknow University, he didn't pursue it. Instead, he began a private bus service, just before entering politics at the behest of his friends and relatives.
He won a seat in the state assembly from Yelandur constituency in 1952 general elections in the erstwhile Mysore state. When the state was reunified on linguistic basis, he shifted to T Narsipur constituency from where he continued to win elections till 1967. In 1989, he shifted his constituency to Chamundeshwari from where he won. In 1980, when he joined Congress from Janata Party along with his political comrade Veerendra Patil he made his maiden entry into Lok Sabha.
Rajashekar Murthy, who held industries portfolio in Veerendra Patil's cabinet in late sixties, was said to be instrumental in establishing many big industries in the city including the now JK Tyres-owned Vikrant Tyres and BEML. In mid nineties, he entered Rajya Sabha to become the surface transport minister in P V Narasimha Rao's cabinet. Piqued over the choice of S M Krishna as KPCC chief in 1998, he left Congress to join BJP. In 2005, he quit BJP and joined JD(S) when the BJP high command sidelined him in the party. He was the Rajya Sabha member from 1994 till his death. His term was to end in April 2012.