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Rajya Raitha Sangha founder - President and Socialist leader Prof. M.D. Nanjundaswamy (69) passed away at Kidwai Memorial Hospital in Bangalore at around 6 am on 3rd February 2004. He was ailing from lung cancer. He leaves behind his wife, a son and a daughter.

A firebrand Lohiaite Prof. Swamy, popularly known as MDN, played a vital role in bringing the first ever non congress Government to power in Karnataka in 1983 when he mobilized the farmers to support the Janata Party. It was Prof. MDN and his friends who toured Karnataka extensively educating the farmers against the then Congress regime's anti farmer policies under late R. Gundu Rao. It was he who gave 'Green Towel' to farmers thus building the Green Brigade.

Prof. MDN, though a Socialist, had a good rapport with Mr. L. G. Havanur, who prepared a revolutionary report on backward classes, popularly known as "Havanur Report," during the regime of late Devaraj Urs who implemented it providing social justice to the neglected sections of the society. It was known in the Socialist circles that Prof. MDN, an authority on socio - economic issues, had contributed much in the data collection for the report. Incidentally, Mr. Havanur was teaching at Renukacharya Law College in Bangalore when Prof. MDN was its Principal.

A close associate of Socialist leaders like Dr. Rammanohar Lohia, Lok Nayak Jayaprakash Narayan and Shanthaveri Gopal Gowda, Prof. MDN was responsible for starting Samajawadi Yuvajana Sabha unit in Karnataka. Prof. MDN was one of the leaders who launched Navanirmana Kranti organisation of JP in Karnataka thus bringing the Total Revolution wave to the State. P. Lankesh, K. P. Poornachandra Tejaswi and other like minded leaders were his comrades in arm during those days.

Born in Mysore (a resident of Saraswathipuram then) to an illustrious father M. N. Mahanthadevaru, advocate, Prof. MDN did his B.Sc., BL in City. He had been a Rockfeller scholar in The Hague Academy of International Law and Doktorand scholar in West Germany. Prof. MDN, a close friend of the then West German Chancellor Mr. Willy Brandt, frequently visited the country as well as other countries, which adopted Socialist ideology.

A believer in 'power to the people,' Prof. MDN led the Raitha Sangha into the election politics and groomed many young leaders. He was elected to Karnataka Assembly in 1990 from Dharwad rural constituency. Prof. MDN was known for his short temper and never compromised on values. A strict disciplinarian, he dumped many leaders and friends when they did not toe his line. This attitude gave him an image of a dictator. This forced many leaders to desert him to join other parties.

Mr. K. S. Puttanaiah was one such leader in Karnataka who broke away to lead a faction of the Raitha Sangha. Prof. MDN parted his way with many of his close friends and also broke his ties with the Janata Government as he was disillusioned over the manner in which late Ramakrishna Hegde was running the Government. Prof. MDN became the bitter critic of the same Government, which was supported by him earlier during the elections.

Prof. MDN had been campaigning against introduction of genetically modified crops in the country and also worked for the cause of saving some of the native crops. Prof. MDN was the younger brother of former Deputy Mayor Mrs. Leela Chennaiah. According to family sources, last rites would be held at his farm house in Chamarajanagar tomorrow.