Hours before his sudden demise, the senior Congress leader had tweeted Eid wishes from his handle on the social media website.
With the untimely demise of Gurudas Kamat, the Congress party, which is struggling in Maharashtra, has lost a tall leader. Gurudas Kamat was passionate about Mumbai, and was vocal, fearless and bold, a man who stood against communal and divisive politics throughout his life.
A five-term Lok Sabha member from the city and an ardent Gandhi family loyalist, Kamat quit various posts at least five times during Rajiv Gandhi, PV Narasimhra Rao and Manmohan Singh’s tenure.
He hit the headlines in June 2016 after he abruptly decided to quit politics. Even though he was in-charge of important states like Gujarat and Rajasthan, he never got a free hand in deciding matters in those the two states. He reversed his decision to quit after erstwhile party president Sonia Gandhi convinced him that the ‘Congress was the best platform to serve the country’.
Subsequently, Kamat in 2017 quit all posts with a request to the party high command to relieve him from all responsibilities on February 3, the day Congress candidates were announced for the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation elections, and repeated his request on February 21, the day of the BMC polling. However, the stayed on in the Congress party following the high command's intervention.
Hours before his sudden demise, the senior Congress leader had tweeted Eid wishes from his handle on Twitter. He had earlier on August 20 posted his photos while paying tributes to former PM Rajiv Gandhi on his birth anniversary.
Notwithstanding his humiliating defeat in 2014 from the north-west Mumbai constituency when Shiv Sena nominee Gajanan Kirtikar won riding the Modi wave, Kamat quietly continued party work with hope for victory in the ensuing parliamentary polls slated for 2019. He relentlessly continued his mass contact programme and tried to address issues faced by people across the city.
An advocate by profession, Kamat started his political career as a student leader in 1972 and joined the National Students Union of India (NSUI), the student wing of the Congress party while he was studying at RA Podar College of Commerce & Economics, Matunga. He was appointed President of the Mumbai unit of the National Students Union of India in 1976, President of Maharashtra Pradesh Youth Congress in 1984 and later President of the Indian Youth Congress in 1987.
Kamat made his mark in Mumbai politics by aggressively focussing on building party organisation to take on saffron twins Shiv Sena and Bharatiya Janata Party at the successive elections for the civic body, state assembly and Lok Sabha. He stuck to Congress party's line of inclusive politics and never compromised. He was subsequently appointed the President of Mumbai Congress in 2003 which he held the position till 2008.
Kamat again hogged the limelight after taking umbrage with current Mumbai city unit president Sanjay Nirupam. He blamed Nirupam for the Congress’ declining performance in the BMC elections held in February 2017.
He had famously uttered: “People like me who have spent our entire political life working for Congress, don’t need lessons from a Johnny come lately like Sanjay Nirupam. Never in my 40 years’ association with the Congress has anyone accused me of indulging in anti-party activities.”
The differences between the two remained unresolved costing party heavily.
Kamat had boldly displayed on social media ''My life motto has been simple -Set objectives. Work passionately towards the goal. Perseverance is the key. This mantra has worked for me.''
Notwithstanding intra-party rivalry, development of Mumbai was on Kamat's agenda. In his capacity as the union minister in the UPA rule, Kamat was instrumental in pursuing central funding and approval of slew of infrastructure projects including strengthening of suburban rail services, Metro Rail, Mono Rail and Elevated Railway for the Western and Central Railway.
In order to address the city's slum issue, Kamat was at the forefront to increase the size of dwelling units to 350 sq ft from 250 sq ft under the slum rehabilitation scheme. At a time, when Mumbaikars are struggling to cope up with the rapidly decaying infrastructure, the city has lost a leader who made every attempt to solve the most complicated and vexed issues that plague the Island City.
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