Devi Prasad Tripathi, general secretary of the Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), passed away here on Thursday. Widely renowned for his erudition and oratory, Dr. Tripathi, 70, was the party Rajya Sabha member from 2012 to 2016.
Dr. Tripathi had been ailing from cancer for the last three years.
“Deeply saddened to hear about the demise of Shri D.P. Tripathiji. He was a guide and mentor to all of us. We will miss his wise counsel and guidance which he had given us from the day NCP was established,” said Supriya Sule, Lok Sabha MP from Baramati. Also known as DPT by his friends and colleagues, Dr. Tripathi was born in Sultanpur, Uttar Pradesh, and grew up in Howrah and was educated at the Allahabad University and the Jawaharlal Nehru University where he became the president of the JNU Students Union (JNUSU) during the Emergency.
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While at the Tihar Jail, he became a friend of Atal Bihari Vajpayee and George Fernandes. Despite his congenital near blind condition, Dr. Tripathi overcame his physical limitations and achieved academic excellence.
He began his political career as the adviser to Rajiv Gandhi in 1983 who as the general secretary of the Congress sought his assistance to resolve an agitation by the students of the JNU. Thereafter, he remained Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi’s assistant till his assassination in 1991.
He became a founding member of the NCP alongside Sharad Pawar and PA Sangma because of differences with the Congress leadership in 1999. His tenure at the Rajya Sabha came after a long political career during which he also mentored the democratic leaders of Nepal. He played an important backroom role in the establishment of democracy in Nepal and remained a close friend of Prime Ministers Madhav Nepal and KP Sharma Oli among others.
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During his tenure as the Rajya Sabha member, Dr. Tripathi also served as a member of the Committee on External Affairs and visited several countries representing the foreign affairs goals of the government. He leaves behind wife and three sons.