Ex BJP President Bangaru Laxman dies in Hyderabad

Former BJP president Bangaru Lakshman died on Saturday. It is learnt the veteran politician breathed his last at Yashoda Hospital in Hyderabad. Latest reports coming in suggest that Bangaru died of cardiac arrest. He was being treated at the Secunderabad Hospital for sometime now.

He served as the President of BJP between 2000 and 2001. Laxman was also a minister of state for Railways in Government of India from 1999 to 2000. He was sentenced to four years in jail for defense deal corruption case.

Bangaru Laxman (born 1939) is an Indian politician from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). Bangaru Laxman was born in a Madiga Dalit family in Andhra Pradesh. He did his BA and LLB in Hyderabad. His wife Susheela Laxman Bangaru was a member of 14th Lok Sabha. She was elected from Jalore constituency in Rajasthan as a candidate of Bharatiya Janata Party. He has 1 son and 3 daughters.

Laxman joined politics at a young age. He was jailed during emergency in 1975. He was elected to Rajya Sabha in 1996. He has held many party positions including the party president.

Laxman was involved in a major controversy when a private TV network when Tehelka allegedly showed him taking bribes from Mathew Samuel on a hidden camera while he was the president of the BJP. He was convicted by a Special CBI Court on 27 April 2012 for taking bribe under Prevention of Corruption Act and was taken into custody.

Bangaru Laxman was convicted in defense deal Tehelka corruption case. Laxman was sentenced to 4-year rigorous imprisonment in prison for his crimes.

Laxman was sentenced to four years in jail on 28 April 2012. 72-year-old Bangaru, who was held guilty in the case, was produced from Tihar Jail before Special CBI Judge Kanwal Jeet Arora. Bangaru was convicted for taking bribe from fake arms dealer to recommend to the defence ministry to award them a contract to supply thermal binoculars to the Army. Soon after the judgment Bangaru Laxman resigned from the party's National Executive. He was granted bail under Justice A.K. Pathak with a bail bond of Rs. 50,000.