Ex-Gujarat governor who had frequent run-ins with state govt under Narendra Modi, Kamla Beniwal no more

In 1952, she became the member of the first Rajasthan Assembly after being elected in a bypoll from Amber ‘A’ Assembly seat on a Congress ticket. She went on to be elected as an MLA for seven terms from Jaipur district. At the age of 27, she became Rajasthan’s first woman minister and held diverse portfolios during her Assembly tenures in Rajasthan, with the last being as deputy CM in the first Ashok Gehlot government in 2003.

Subsequently, she held the post of Governor in Tripura, Gujarat and Mizoram. In Gujarat, her tenure was marked by run-ins with the state government led by the then Chief Minister Narendra Modi. In a 2011 letter to the then Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Modi had sought that she be recalled immediately, stating she had “bypassed” his government to appoint the Lokayukta.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Modi offered condolences on her death, posting on X: “Saddened by the passing away of Dr. Kamla Beniwal Ji. She had a long political career in Rajasthan, where she served the people with diligence. I had countless interactions with her when she was the Governor of Gujarat and I was the Chief Minister. Condolences to her family and friends. Om Shanti.”

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar said: “An astute administrator and veteran leader, she epitomised women empowerment. Her simplicity coupled with firmness earned her many admirers. Having known Dr Kamla Beniwal ji for over five decades, it is a personal loss to me. May Almighty give strength to her family and friends to bear this irreparable loss. Om Shanti!”

Former Chief Minister Gehlot said Beniwal had a multi-faceted personality and did exemplary work in every field, not just politics.

“During my first tenure as Chief Minister, she was my senior colleague in the cabinet. During this time, I got to learn a lot from her. She was an efficient administrator, a powerful speaker and a strong leader. Her commitment and loyalty towards the Congress ideology is an example,” he said. “As Governor of Gujarat, she further enhanced the dignity of the post by protecting constitutional values.”

Gehlot said Beniwal had “immense affection” for him. “I used to often visit her residence in Malviya Nagar, Jaipur to inquire about her well-being and to seek her blessings and guidance.”

She married Ramchandra Beniwal in 1949 and the couple had one son and four daughters. Her son, former MLA Alok Beniwal, termed it an “irreparable loss” for him and his family, saying the dignity she “maintained in public life and the high values that she upheld will continue to inspire” him.

Alok Beniwal, a BJP leader, was previously in the Congress and elected as an independent MLA from Jaipur’s Shahpura in 2018. He said her last rites will be held on Thursday morning.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel and Gujarat Governor Acharya Devvrat too mourned Beniwal’s death.

In Beniwal’s term as Gujarat Governor between November 2009 to July 2014, she butted heads with the state government over a number of issues. These included Bills that proposed compulsory voting, regularisation of illegal construction by levying an impact fee and 50% reservation in local self-government bodies.

The sharpest confrontation came in August 2011 when Beniwal’s office appointed Justice (retired) R A Mehta as the Lokayukta of Gujarat against CM Modi’s wishes. The state government unsuccessfully challenged the appointment, first before the Gujarat High Court and then the Supreme Court. Mehta eventually declined to assume the role, saying the controversy had “denigrated” the office and that the “appointment has lost all grace and dignity”.

The Raj Bhavan under Beniwal saw another point of friction with the Modi-led Gujarat government in 2012 when she granted sanction to prosecute the then Fisheries Minister Purshottam Solanki in an alleged Rs 400-crore fishing contracts scam.

In July 2014 — after the BJP led NDA government came to power at Centre — Beniwal was transferred as Governor of Mizoram for the remainder of her term.