New Delhi(PTI): Rajya Sabha MP from the Janata Dal(United) and industrialist Mahendra Prasad died here after a long spell of illness, his party said on Monday.

Prasad was a seven-term Rajya Sabha MP from Bihar and was also elected to the Lok Sabha once.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar expressed condolences at the death of the 81-year-old Prasad, founder of Aristo Pharmaceuticals, and said his demise is a big loss to the society and politics besides industry.

Prasad was first elected to the Lok Sabha on a Congress ticket in 1980. He remained associated with the party for a long time and shifted his loyalties later as its fortunes declined in the state.

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Hassan: Two women working in a coffee plantation in Belur taluk were grievously injured in a wild elephant attack while on the way to work on Monday morning. The women are being treated at the Hassan District Hospital.

The injured women, Hema (38) and Geetha (40), were employed at the Bikkodu Estate and were going to work when they were attacked. The elephant reportedly lifted one of the women with its trunk before dashing her aside and also trampled the workers.

As a result, the women sustained severe injuries, Geetha being injured on her stomach and head and Hema on her face and right hand. The workers were taken immediately to the Belur government hospital and later shifted to the Hassan District Hospital.

The forest officers have visited the hospital and inquired about the health condition of Hema and Geetha. The farmers and coffee plantation owners in Bikkodu and nearby areas have again expressed worry about the problem of wild elephant attack in the area. They have also urged the Forest Department to take necessary steps in the matter for the safety of the residents.