Bhubaneswar: Former MLA and senior Congress leader Harihar Karan passed away at a private hospital in Bhubaneswar today. He was 72. Harihar was undergoing treatment after being diagnosed with Septicemia, informed his son.
He was a member of the 6th, 7th, 8th, 9th, 11th and 12th Assembly in Odisha. Born in 1947, the senior Congress leader got involved in politics ever since he was a student. He became a leader of the students' union while studying at Madhusudan Law College in Cuttack from 1968 till 1971.
Later, he went on to become the General Secretary of Odisha Congress and worked as a member of All India Congress Committee(AICC). In 1974, he was elected in the 6th Assembly, in 1977 he was elected in the 7th Assembly and later in 1980, he became Health & Family Welfare Minister at the Centre.
In 2013, Harihar headed the Disciplinary Committee of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee(OPCC).
Meanwhile, son of Harihar has alleged that shifting to another hospital could be the reason behind the death of his father. "My father (Harihar Karan) was admitted to Apollo Hospitals 3 weeks ago. He was shifted to another hospital following Apollo fire mishap yesterday which deprived him of ventilator facilities for 5 hrs." He alleged lack of coordination between the two hospitals.
Union Minister Dharmendra Pradhan also extended his condolences to the family members of the senior Congress leader.