Mahendra Prasad with his wife and other family members, after taking oath as a Member of Rajya Sabha at Parliament in New Delhi, in 2018. (Express File/Renuka Puri)
PM condoles the passing away of Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Mahendra Prasad. The Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi has expressed deep grief over the passing away of the member of Parliament.
In a tweet, the Prime Minister said.
“Saddened by the passing away of Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Mahendra Prasad Ji. He served in Parliament for many years and was at the forefront of several community service efforts. He always spoke for the welfare of Bihar and its people. Condolences to his family. Om Shanti.”
Saddened by the passing away of Rajya Sabha MP Dr. Mahendra Prasad Ji. He served in Parliament for many years and was at the forefront of several community service efforts. He always spoke for the welfare of Bihar and its people. Condolences to his family. Om Shanti.
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 27, 2021
Taking to Twitter, President Kovind wrote, “Sad to learn about the passing away of Rajya Sabha MP Dr Mahendra Prasad. He had parliamentary experience of four decades and was also among pioneers of pharmaceutical industry. My condolences to his family and friends.”
All you need to know about Dr. Mahendra Prasad
Besides being a pharma tycoon, Prasad was also a seven-time MP from Bihar. He’s one of the longest-serving Rajya Sabha MPs. Mahendra Prasad, known as ‘King Mahendra‘, won his first Lok Sabha election from the Jehanabad Constituency in Bihar in 1980.
Prasad was first elected to the Lok Sabha as a Congress candidate in 1980. While he was affiliated with the party for a long time, he later switched loyalties as the party’s fortunes declined. Despite losing the 1984 elections, he was nominated for the Rajya Sabha by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1985.
He joined the Janata Dal and then its offshoots, first Rashtriya Janata Dal and then JD(U).
Prasad has been in the Rajya Sabha since 1985. In addition to Congress and JD (U), Prasad was nominated in the Rajya Sabha by Janta Dal and Rashtriya Janata Dal.
His name was often prefixed with “King”, a nod to his vast fortune and the fact he remained in the Rajya Sabha since 1985, except for short gaps.