Bhagwat Jha Azad, the former Chief Minister of Bihar and the father of Legendary Indian Bihari Cricketer Turned MP Kriti Azad passed away in New Delhi at an age of 89. He was The Chief Minister between 14 Feb. 1988 and 10 March 1989.
A native of erstwhile Godda district of Bihar, he was a six-time member of the Lok Sabha from Bhagalpur in Bihar, Azad had been ailing for some time and was admitted to the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), family sources said.
During his short stint as CM Azad made a name for himself as a “strong and honest†chief minister when he took on the vested interests in the cooperative sector. The decision was a tough one given that his drive against the ‘cooperative mafia’ went against a section of Congress leaders with entrenched interests in the sector.
He superceded the boards of three apex cooperative institutions — Bihar State Co-operative Bank, Bihar State Co-operative Marketing Union and Bihar State Co-operative Land Development Bank — and appointed three IAS officers — B K Sinha, P K Basu and R K Singh, respectively — as their administrators. This troika became popular as the group of BK, PK and RK that went on to create a terror in the minds of the ‘cooperative mafia’.
He also cracked down against education mafia in the state. He cut down on political appointments in co-operative bodies, including banks and federations, and prevented mushrooming of unlicensed private engineering and medical colleges in the state.
Apart from a politician he held interest in several activities including sports and cultural activities.
He actively participated in Student, Youth and Kisan Movements and Education. He was fond of Gardening, and also spent time on Poetry, Music, Dance and Drama.
His interest included playing Volleyball, Cricket and Badminton. He had traveled to many countries including U.S.A., Canada, U.K., Ireland, Italy, Switzerland, Lebanon, U.S.S.R., Japan, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Bulgaria and Czechoslovakia.
Biharprabha News condoles the sad demise of the former Chief Minister.