Bizman-neta Morarka, 74, passes away
■ Morarka was part of Chandra Shekhar govt in 1990-91
Industrialist-politician Kamal Morarka, 74, who had served as a minister in the 199091 Chandra Shekhar government and was closely involved with the cricket board, died of a heart attack at his south Mumbai home on Friday evening. The end came at 7.50 pm.
Morarka, who hails from Rajasthan, was survived by his wife and two daughters.
Former Union minister and industrialist Kamal Morarka (74) on Friday passed away at his home in South Mumbai. He died owing to the heart attack.
A close friend and senior journalist Santosh Bharatiya told The Asian Age, "Morarka died after he suffered a heart attack at 7.50 pm on Friday. He complained of a cough on Thursday. He did not come to office yesterday as he was unwell."
Morarka, who hails from Rajasthan, was survived by two daughters and wife. He was a Union minister in the Chandra Shekhar government in 1990-91 and a former Rajya Sabha MP from Rajasthan from JD(S) between 1988 and 1994. In 2012, he became the head of Samajwadi Janata Party (Rashtriya) which was started by Chandra Shekhar and Devi Lal after they broke away from Janata Dal in 1990.
Morarka, who was born in a well-known business family, donned many hats — a successful businessman, a cricket administrator who was the BCCI vicepresident during Jagmohan Dalmia’s time, a minister in the Union Cabinet, a wild life photographer and an organic farmer who has done some great work in his native Rajasthan to promote agriculture and support farmers in many ways. He and his MR Morarka foundation have been also at the forefront to promote art, Sanskrit literature and culture.
Morarka was also associated with Indian cricket as an administrator. He has served as vice president of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. In 2000, he was a member of the BCCI disciplinary committee that took the decision to ban Mohammed Azharuddin on December 5, 2000. However, years later he criticised the decision as a sham.