Former Karnataka Chief Minister SM Krishna hospitalised, on minimal respiratory support

Krishna had also suffered from a bout of Covid-19 infection during the pandemic.

Chief Minister, EAM, Governor

For the largest part of his long political career, Krishna was with the Indian National Congress. In 2017, Krishna joined the BJP but has barely been active in public life.

SM Krishna handing over charge to Salman Khurshid as EAM in 2012. (Twitter: MEAIndia)

Credited for building on the vision by HD Deve Gowda to turn Bengaluru into an IT city, Krishna is counted among the more successful chief ministers of Karnataka.

During his tenure between 1999 and 2004, Krishna was most known for reforms in electricity companies, public private partnerships, and digitisation of the state’s land records.

Krishna served as Governor of Maharashtra between 2004 and 2008 and as external affairs minister between 2009 and 2012 in the UPA II government. Despite Krishna’s switch to the BJP, he commanded immense respect from politicians in his former party as well.

President of Karnataka Congress DK Shivakumar is seen as SM Krishna’s protege and now extended family. DK Shivakumar’s daughter is married to SM Krishna’s grandson.

Krishna’s son-in-law and Cafe Coffee Day founder VG Siddhartha died of suspected suicide in July 2019. In a note, Siddhartha held “harassment by Income Tax officials” as the reason for his “unbearable pressure”.