Industrialist Rahul Bajaj, Former Chairman Of Bajaj Group, Dies At 83
Rahul Bajaj had resigned as Bajaj Auto Chairman in April last year.
New Delhi:
Veteran industrialist Rahul Bajaj, synonymous with Bajaj Auto, died today in Pune. He was 83.
A statement from the Bajaj Group said that the industrialist died in the “presence of his closest family members”.
The industry veteran was not keeping well for some time and died at 14:30 hours this afternoon, said an official. He will be accorded a state funeral tomorrow, said the Maharashtra government.
Rahul Bajaj had resigned as Bajaj Auto Chairman in April last year. However, he was appointed as firm’s Chairman Emeritus for five years.
One of the most famous taglines in the Indian corporate ad industry has been “you just can’t beat a Bajaj” and the “Hamara Bajaj” for the company’s iconic two-wheeler.
He headed the Bajaj group of companies which have presence across segments such as automobiles, general and life insurance, investment and consumer finance, home appliances, electric lamps, wind energy, special alloy and stainless steel, material handling equipment and travel.
The company’s Bajaj Chetak scooter became an aspirational symbol for the middle class Indian families, with the ‘Humara Bajaj’ tune becoming synonymous with their hopes of a better future.
In November 2019, at an event organised by the Economic Times in Mumbai where Home Minister Amit Shah was present, the veteran industrialist spoke about the government’s ‘stifling of criticism’, among other things.
“This environment of fear, it’s definitely on our minds. “You (the government) are doing good work; and despite that, we don’t have the confidence that you’ll appreciate criticism,” he had said.
