Akshaye Khanna’s mother and late veteran actor Vinod Khanna's first wife Geetanjali, dies at 70
Mumbai, Dec 16: Late Bollywood actor Vinod Khanna's first wife Geetanjali died at the family's farmhouse in Maharashtra's Raigad district, police said Sunday.
She was 70.
Geetanjali and her actor son Akshaye Khanna were visiting the farmhouse located at Mandwa over the weekend.
She complained of uneasiness at the farmhouse on Saturday evening following which she was taken to a hospital in Chondi village, Mandva police station in-charge, assistant police inspector Meghna Burande said.
After treatment at the hospital, Geetanjali and her son returned to the farmhouse where the actor took her to the bedroom and asked her to take rest, she said.
Akshaye Khanna later went out of the farmhouse for sometime. When he returned, he enquired with a care-taker about his mother and then went to her bedroom where he found her unconscious, the official said.
He then called doctors again at the local hospital and also his brother-actor Rahul Khanna in Mumbai.
On doctor's advice, he took his mother to the Alibaug-based civil hospital where she was declared dead, Burande said.
After the postmortem at the civil hospital on Sunday morning, the body was handed over to the family, she said.
"It appeared to be a natural death, but doctors have preserved the viscera to ascertain the exact cause of demise," the official said.
"We recorded Rahul Khanna's statement and have not found anything suspicious," she said, adding that the last rites of the deceased were performed by the family members at Alibaug on Sunday afternoon.
Vinod Khanna, who had served a BJP MP, died in April last year at the age of 70.
He had divorced Geetanjali in 1985. In 1990, he got married again to Kavita, with whom, he had a son, Sakshi, and a daughter, Shraddha.
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Become CM after winning next Assembly polls: Minister KN Rajanna to DK Shivakumar
Bengaluru, Jan 10: Karnataka Minister K N Rajanna on Friday suggested Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar to become Chief Minister of the state for the full five years, after winning the next Assembly polls under his leadership, rather than eyeing the post during the remaining two-and-half years of the current government's tenure.
His comments came following Chief Minister Siddaramaiah's recent dinner with select Dalit and ST Cabinet colleagues, creating a buzz within the Congress, amid speculation about a possible change of guard in the state after March, under a "rotational chief minister" or "power-sharing" formula.
Cooperation Minister Rajanna, who is considered to be a confidant of Siddaramaiah, was also part of the dinner meeting.
Shivakumar has made no secret of his ambition to become the CM.
"As a human being, the desire for power is natural. I don't feel that him (Shivakumar) showing interest or desire for the Chief Minister post is wrong. Previous (2023) election was under the leadership of Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar, and people blessed us (Congress)," Rajanna said.
Speaking to reporters here, he said, the high command has appointed the legislature party leader, who is the CM, and they have the powers to change the leader in the future if they want, and everyone will accept whatever decision they make.
"Let's go for the next Assembly polls under Shivakumar's leadership, and with the party coming to power once again under his leadership, let him be the chief minister for the full five years, why fight for two-and-half years now?"
Rajanna said, "I'm not saying don't fight for two-and-half years. My suggestion for him is why fight to be CM for two-and-half years, become CM for a full five years. Who will object..."
Asked if he will be minister in Shivakumar's cabinet if there is a chance, Rajanna said, he won't contest elections anymore, and also don't expect to become minister in anyone's cabinet.
There was stiff competition between Siddaramaiah and Shivakumar for the CM's post after the declaration of Assembly election results in May 2023, and the Congress had managed to convince the latter and made him the Deputy Chief Minister.
There were some reports at the time that a compromise had been reached based on a "rotational chief minister formula," according to which Shivakumar will become CM after two-and-half years, but they have not been officially confirmed by the party.
A meeting of Congress leaders, ministers, and lawmakers from SC/ST communities, scheduled for Wednesday evening under the leadership of Home Minister G Parameshwara and supported by Rajanna, had to be postponed following instructions from AICC general secretary in-charge of the state, Randeep Singh Surjewala.
According to sources, the decision to postpone the meeting came after Shivakumar, a chief ministerial aspirant, met AICC general secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal in New Delhi on Monday night to discuss party developments.
A section within the Congress feels that the SC/ST convention and Parameshwara's dinner meeting could revive the demand for a Dalit or AHINDA (a Kannada acronym for minorities, backward classes, and Dalits) leader to become the next chief minister. This could complicate Shivakumar's prospects if Siddaramaiah steps down after the state budget, as speculated.
Rajanna had in the past demanded the party to enforce the 'one person, one post' policy, which was seen as a move to mount pressure on Shivakumar, who is also the state Congress chief.
He had also batted for three more Deputy Chief Ministers -- from Veerashaiva-Lingayat, SC/ST and minority communities -- along with Shivakumar a Vokkaliga.
Reacting to union minister and JD(S) leader H D Kumaraswamy's 60 per cent commission charge against the Congress government, Rajanna said, "Ask Kumaraswamy how much is his percentage and let's say what is the difference later. Is Kumaraswamy a Satya Harishchandra?"
Claiming that 90 per cent of political leaders in this country are corrupt, he said, "How much would we spend during elections? Where does that money come from? Do we spend by selling our assets? Don't we borrow from someone for it? Does the person who lends money, lends just like that? If we speak the truth before the media, it will become an issue. The situation is such that the truth cannot not be spoken."
