Dalit veteran leader RS Gavai no more; CM Devendra Fadnavis calls him 'ajat shatru'

Veteran Dalit leader and former chairman of Maharashtra Legislative Council RS Gavai died on Saturday in at a private hospital in Nagpur after a prolonged illness. Ramkrishna Suryabhan Gavai was 86 and is survived by wife Kamal and two sons.

His elder son Justice Bhushan Gavai is a Bombay High Court judge of Nagpur Bench and younger son Dr Rajendra is a leader of Republican Party of India (Gavai faction).

The body was taken to Justice Gavai's residence in Nagpur and later kept at Deekshabhoomi, the place where Dr BR Ambedkar embraced Buddhism in 1956, for the public to pay the last respects.

The funeral will take place at his native village in Daryapur in Amravati district on Sunday with state honours. He had also represented Daryapur in the 12th Loksabha.

Born on October 30, 1929, Gavai was an MLC from 1964 to 1994 and served as deputy chairman of the Council 1968 to 1978, and as chairman for next six years. He was also the Leader of Opposition in the Council from 1986 to 1988.

Gavai was appointed as the Governor of Bihar in 2006 and shifted to Kerala in 2008, where he served till August 2011.

His nod to the CBI to prosecute CPM leader Pinarayi Vijayan in a graft case had spakred a controversy and his decision had drawn flak from the Left, even as Congress-led alliance hailed it.

He was the Chairman of Babasaheb Ambedkar Smarak Samiti, which manages the Deekshabhoomi. He held the post till his end.

A strong votary of Dalit unity, Gavai had headed the presidium of RPI when other factions of the party offered to come together and installed him as the president. However, the unity did not last long and various factions led by Prakash Ambedkar, Ramdas Athawale, N M Kamble and others parted ways.

Paying rich tribute to the departed leader, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said the state had lost an "ajat shatru" (a person with no enemies).

"It is also a great loss to the Ambedkar movement since Gavai was a father figure for the community who successfully managed the affairs of Deekshabhoomi since the past five decades," he said.

Congress leaders Radhakrishna Vikhe Patil and Manikrao Thakre will attend Gavai's funeral on Sunday.


Rich tribute

A man of the masses, Shri Gavai had grasp over the problems of the people. He had friends cutting across the political spectrum. Gavai ji left a distinct imprint of his own on every position that he held in his long political career.
Vidyasagar Rao, Governor

The country has lost a guide. In the prevailing circumstances, the country needed the guidance of a progressive and secular leader like him.
Prithviraj Chavan, ex-CM

He always highlighted progressive thoughts and issues of the downtrodden. Gavai left a mark in social and administrative fields. In his death, Maharashtra has lost an able administrator and leader
Sharad Pawar, NCP chief

—With inputs from PTI