Former union minister Akhilesh Das Gupta no more

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], Apr.12 (ANI): Former union minister and Congress leader Akhilesh Das Gupta breathed his last here on Wednesday following a heart attack. He was 56 years old. He was the son of freedom fighter late Babu Banarasi Das, who also served as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Akhilesh Das has been Minister of State for Steel in UPA-I, served as a mayor of Lucknow and held many posts in the Congress for nearly two decades. He left Congress and joined Bahujan Samaj Party. Once close to BSP supremo Mayawati, Gupta held the post of party's General Secretary. However, in 2014 he left the party after not getting Rajya Sabha ticket and also made allegation on Mayawati for asking money to give party tickets. Gupta had rejoined Congress Party ahead of Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, claiming it to be his "ghar wapasi" in Jan 2017. He actively served as Secretary of Congress Parliamentary Party between 2003 to 2006 under the Chairmanship of Congress president Sonia Gandhi. He was Member of Parliament (Rajya Sabha) for 18 years serving three consecutive terms of six years each from November 1996 to November 2014. He was the president of Badminton Association of India, vice-president of Badminton Asia Confederation, a member of the Executive Council of Badminton World Federation and vice-president of the Indian Olympic Association. As a national-level badminton player, Gupta had represented Uttar Pradesh and the country in various International Badminton Tournaments. Gupta, along with other higher officials of the Badminton Association of India, was accused of fraud and nepotism by favoring his own children for goodwill trip to Japan. They were later investigated by the Crime Branch of Investigation (CBI). The CBI completed the investigation and sent its report to the Sports Ministry, Government of India, but no action had been taken yet. (ANI)