Former Assembly Speaker Krishna no more

Bengaluru: Former Speaker of the Karnataka Legislative Assembly Krishna, popularly known as K R Pete Krishna, died at his Mysuru residence on Friday, sources close to him said. Krishna (80), suffering from cancer, had undergone treatment at a private hospital in Chennai. He is survived by wife and a daughter.

The last rites are likely to be performed at his native village Kottamaranahalli in K R Pete taluk of Mandya district on Saturday, sources said.

Krishna had served as Animal Husbandry and Sericulture Minister in S R Bommai cabinet and had represented K R Pete Assembly constituency thrice in 1985, 1994 and 2004 from Janata Party, Janata Dal and JD(S).

He had represented the Mandya Lok Sabha seat in 1996 and served as the Speaker of Karnataka Legislative Assembly from 2004-08. Krishna was known as a simple and gentleman-politician. Expressing condolences, Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa remembered Krishna's popularity among the people starting from his political career as a member of K R Pete Taluk Board, and the way he upheld the parliamentary values as a Speaker.

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, expressing grief, said he was deeply pained by Krishna's death.