S M Krishna: A suave politician who scaled many heights

Bengaluru: The suave and sophisticated Somanahalli Malliah Krishna, known as SMK by his friends and inner circle, held positions not many politicians did in his five decade career and built ‘Brand Bengaluru,’ as the chief minister of Karnataka.

With outstanding academic credentials to his name, Krishna played his part with aplomb as the chief minister in promoting the tech sector in Karnataka and giving a fillip to this cosmopolitan city.

From being a minister on different occasions in the state and at the Centre and a Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha member to heading the Congress in Karnataka — Krishna indeed had a long innings.

He served as a member of the legislative Council, Assembly, Speaker, Deputy Chief Minister, Union External Affairs Minister and Governor.

“He played a proactive role in putting Bengaluru on the global map,” a senior information technology industry executive said.

“He gave a boost to the IT sector during his tenure as the chief minister resulting in Bengaluru growing as an alternative to Silicon Valley in California and generating jobs for youths,” he added.

Born in Somanahalli in Karnataka’s Mandya district on May 1, 1932, Krishna kicked off his electoral foray in style winning as an independent candidate from Maddur seat against Congress stalwart K V Shankar Gowda in the 1962 assembly elections.

He later associated himself with the Praja Socialist Party before joining the Congress.

A graduate of Maharaja’s College, Mysuru, he obtained a law degree from the Government Law College here.

Further, he studied at Southern Methodist University, Dallas, US, and later at George Washington University, where he was a Fulbright Scholar.

During his stay in the US, he had campaigned for Democrat candidate John F Kennedy contesting in the US presidential election.

After winning the election, Kennedy remembered Krishna’s contribution in pulling in votes from the Indian diaspora for him.

Kennedy sent a thanksgiving note, “I hope that these few lines will convey my warm appreciation for your efforts during the campaign. I am most grateful for the splendid enthusiasm of my associates. I am only sorry I have not been able to personally thank you for the excellent work which you performed on behalf of the Democratic ticket. Without your unrelenting efforts and loyalty, victory would not have been possible last November 8th.” In India, Krishna worked as a Professor of International Law at Renukacharya Law College.

He made his Parliamentary debut in 1968 as a ‘Socialist’ MP and became a member of the fourth Lok Sabha.

Krishna was elected to the fifth Lok Sabha too but preferred to return to state politics in 1972 when he was elected to the Legislative Council and inducted as Minister for Commerce, Industries and Parliamentary Affairs, a charge he held between 1972 and 1977.

In 1980, he returned to Lok Sabha and served as the Minister of State for Industry from 1983-84, and Minister of State for Finance from 1984-85.

Krishna, an attorney-at-law, became the Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1989, and Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka in 1992. Elected to Rajya Sabha in 1996, he was its member till October 1999.

He was Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee president ahead of the 1999 assembly polls in which the party won.

He was CM from October 1999 to May 2004. He served as the Governor of Maharashtra from December 2004 to March 2008, and as the External Affairs Minister in the Manmohan Singh-led government from May 2009 to October 2012.

As the External Affairs Minister, Krishna was caught in a public gaffe when he inadvertently read out the speech of the Portuguese minister at a UN Security Council meeting at the United Nations but rectified the error after the then Indian envoy Hardeep Singh Puri, who is now a Union Minister, drew his attention and made him correct his speech.

Further, he had once came under fire for allegedly not backing then Home Secretary G K Pillai during a joint press conference in Islamabad when the diplomat was compared with Lashkar-e-Taiba’s Hafiz Saeed.

In 2017, Krishna joined the BJP, ending his nearly 50-year-long association with the Congress.

He announced his retirement from politics on January 7, 2023.

Krishna was also a tennis buff.

A tennis enthusiast who played competitive tennis during his college days, Krishna served as president of the Karnataka State Lawn Tennis Association (KSLTA) from 1999 to 2020.

He is survived wife Prema Krishna, and two daughters — Malavika Krishna and Shambhavi Krishna.