Politician with rare charm and wit

By Our Special Correspondent

BANGALORE, DEC. 12. Former Karnataka Chief Minister and Janata Dal (United) leader, Mr. J.H. Patel, who passed away early today at Manipal Hospital here after battling a liver ailment, is survived by wife, Mrs. Sarvamangala, and three sons. Besides his own poor health, Mr. Patel had been shattered by the death of his grand- daughter and two sisters in a road accident recently.

A politician with rare charm and wit, Mr. Jayadevappa Halappa Patel was the Chief Minister from May 1996 to October 1999. He was earlier the Deputy Chief Minister for two years when Mr. H.D. Deve Gowda was the Chief Minister. He was hospitalised on December 6.

His body was taken to his son's residence in Rajamahalvilas Second Stage. A large number of political leaders, Ministers, his many friends and admirers and people from all walks of life called at the house.

Among the early callers was former Chief Minister, Mr. Ramakrishna Hegde. The Chief Minister, Mr. S. M. Krishna, former Prime Minister, Mr. Deve Gowda, and the Defence Minister, Mr. George Fernandes, an old friend and comrade of Mr. Patel from his Socialist days, also visited the house to pay their respects.

In the last few months, Mr. Patel had been making efforts for the merger of the two Janata Dal factions - the JD (United) and the JD (Secular) headed by Mr. Gowda - and that was one of his unfulfilled missions. He had snapped the ties of the JD(U) with the BJP at the State level.

Unique political career

Mr. Patel's political career is unique in the sense that except for a brief membership of a splinter group of the Congress formed by the late Devaraj Urs, he had always remained a non-Congress politician. He was, in fact, one of the pillars of the Opposition or the anti-Congress movement in the State. It was in the fitness of things that he became a Cabinet minister in the first ever non-Congress Government formed in the State by Mr. Hegde in 1983. Mr. Patel had been jailed during the Emergency. In his boyhood, he had taken part in the freedom movement in his native Shimoga District.

The funeral will be held at his native village, Karigenur, in Chennagiri taluk in Davanagere District on Wednesday, according to family sources.

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