ND Patil was a member of the Legislative Council for 18 years
Veteran Shetkari Kamgar Paksha leader and former Maharashtra Minister Narayan Dyandeo Patil, who fought for farmers and the marginalised sections, died due to age-related ailments today, an official said. He was 92.
Leaders across political parties, including Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and NCP president Sharad Pawar, paid rich tributes to Patil and said that with his death, the farmers and labourers have lost their voices.
Uddhav Thackeray directed authorities to conduct the minister's last rites with state honours.
ND Patil was the torch-bearer of progressive thinking in the state and kept the torch of ideas of Mahatma Jyotirao Phule and Karamveer Bhaurao Patil burning, Mr Thackeray said.
"The strong voice of farmers and working people is now lost. His leadership was inspiring for Maharashtra. The state of Maharashtra will suffer a lot due to Patil's death."
Patil espoused the cause of making Karnataka's Belgaum, with a large number of Marathi-speaking people, as a part of Maharashtra, the chief minister said.
NCP chief Sharad Pawar tweeted his condolences, saying a principled and selfless leader, who had faith in the working class, has been lost.
Patil was Sharad Pawar's brother-in-law.
"With the demise of ND Patil, the principled and selfless leader of Maharashtra, who had faith in the working class, who had faith in the working class, has been lost today. He also raised his voice in the legislature for the questions of the neglected people, his eloquent speeches filled the hall," Sharad Pawar said recalling his tenure in the legislature.
Patil also fulfilled the responsibility of Rayat Shikshan Sanstha with the same capacity during his tenure as its president and his contribution to the organisation can never be erased, Mr Pawar added.
Devendra Fadnavis, the Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly, said ND Patil had resolved many problems related to farmers, workers, and mill workers.
ND Patil had joined the Shetkari Kamgar Paksha (SKP), an outfit of workers and farmers, in 1948 to fight for their rights. He had also worked as the Secretary-General of the SKP.
While working with the outfit, ND Patil studied social issues and fought for the protection of the interest of the downtrodden.
He was a member of the Legislative Council for 18 years and has also served as the state Cooperative Minister.
A leader of the Maharashtra Ekikaran Samiti, ND Patil had also served as an MLA from 1985 to 1990.
Born on July 15, 1929, in Maharashtra's Sangli district, Patil completed his Masters in Economics from Willingdon College in the district. After completing a degree in Law from Pune University, he worked as a professor in Satara's Chhatrapati Shivaji College. He was also the former Dean of the Sociology department at Kolhapur's Shivaji University. From 1959, he had been a member of the managing council of the Rayat Shikshan Sanstha in Satara.