INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Corporate sector and political leaders have expressed grief at Rahul Bajaj's deathPresident Ram Nath Kovind and prime minister Narendra
Group, who died on Saturday afternoon in Pune, aged 83 years."Saddened to learn of Shri Rahul Bajaj's demise
A doyen of Indian industry, he was passionate about its priorities," read a tweet from the president's official Twitter handle.Mr
His last rites will be held on Sunday, February 13.He is survived by two sons, Rajiv Bajaj and Sanjiv Bajaj, and a daughter Sunaina
Kovind's tweet here.Prime minister Narendra Modi said in a tweet that "Shri Rahul Bajaj Ji will be remembered for his noteworthy
contributions to the world of commerce and industry
Beyond business, he was passionate about community service and was a great conversationalist
Condolences to his family and friends
Om Shanti".Mr Bajaj had pneumonia and also a heart problem
He was admitted to hospital for the last one month, said Dr Purvez Grant, the managing trustee at Ruby Hall Clinic.Born on June 10, 1938,
Rahul Bajaj was the chairman of Bajaj Group for over 40 years
third-highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 2001
Mr Bajaj also served as a Rajya Sabha MP from 2006 to 2010."It is with deep sorrow that I inform you about the passing away of Shri Rahul
Bajaj, husband of the late Rupa Bajaj and father of Rajiv/Deepa, Sanjiv/Shefali and Sunaina/Manish
He passed away on the afternoon of 12th February, 2022 in the presence of his closest family members," a statement from Bajaj Group
read.Executive chairperson of Biocon Limited, Kiran Majumdar Shaw, a close friend of the late industrialist, said in a tweet that she was
"devastated" at Mr Bajaj's death and that the nation had lost a "great son" and a "nation builder".Managing director and CEO of Kotak
Mahindra Bank, Uday Kotak described Mr Bajaj as "bold and fearless" who "spoke truth to power"
cheering him on to be bold.Read what Mr Mahindra had to say on Mr Bajaj's death.Chairman of RPG Group, Harsh Goenka described Mr Bajaj's
demise as "cracking" of Indian business' "spine", while calling him a "visionary", whose death marks the end of an era.Finance minister
Nirmala Sitharaman also condoled the veteran business leader's death
This is what she tweeted.Union minister Nitin Gadkari and several leaders cutting across party lines took to social media to express their
shock and grief on the death of the veteran business leader.Mr Gadkari tweeted his heartfelt tributes to Mr Bajaj, adding that he had known
the former Bajaj Group chairman for many years.Congress leader Rahul Gandhi described Mr Bajaj's death as a "big loss"
Read his tweet here.Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar tweeted that he was "deeply shocked to learn about the sad demise of
Padma Bhushan Shri Rahul Bajaj! The grandson of eminent freedom fighter Jamnalal Bajaj brought transformation in society especially in poor
and middle-class people with his two-wheel technology - a Bajaj Bike!"Congress leader and former finance minister P Chidambaram while
tweeting his condolences on Mr Bajaj's death, described him as a "far sighted" and "outspoken business leader" who "put average Indians on
two motorised wheels".This is what he tweeted.Chief minister of Rajasthan Ashok Gehlot, Tamil Nadu chief minister M K Stalin and Karnataka
chief minister Basavaraj Bommai also condoled the industrialist's death.Fearless IndustrialistAfter taking charge of the Bajaj group
business in 1965, Rahul Bajaj led it to the growth path
He steered the diversified entity during India's transition from a closed economy to a liberalised one and drove the company to expand its
product portfolio with the Bajaj brand finding foothold in global markets while warding off emerging competition from Japanese motorcycle
makers that challenged the Bajaj Auto's scooters.Under his stewardship, flagship firm Bajaj Auto saw its turnover growing to Rs 12,000
crore from just Rs 7.2 crore with the firm's scooters becoming the mainstay.The company's Bajaj Chetak scooter became an aspirational
symbol for the middle class Indian families then, with the 'Hamara Bajaj' tune becoming synonymous with their hopes of a better future.In
2005, he had started passing the baton of the company to son Rajiv Bajaj, who became the managing director of Bajaj Auto and led the company
to become a truly global automobile player.Known for his outspokenness, in November 2019, at an event organised by a business daily in
Mumbai where home minister Amit Shah, finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman and commerce minister Piyush Goyal were present, the veteran
industrialist spoke about the government's 's tifling of criticism', among other things."This environment of fear, it's definitely on
You (the government) are doing good work; and despite that, we don't have the confidence that you'll appreciate criticism," he had said.
