Rahul Bajaj, the founder of the Bajaj Group, has died at the age of 83; Nitin Gadkari, Milind Deora, and other leaders have paid rich tributes.

In 2001, Rahul Bajaj received India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan.

Rahul Bajaj, chairman emeritus of the Bajaj Group, died on Saturday in Mumbai. He was 83 years old when he died. Union Minister Nitin Gadkari and several Congress leaders, including Supriya Sule and Milind Deora, expressed their sorrow and grief on the business scion’s death on Twitter. In 2001, Rahul Bajaj received India’s third-highest civilian award, the Padma Bhushan. Rahul Bajaj was born in Kolkata in 1938 and graduated from the famous St Stephen’s College in 1958. He also attended Harvard Business School, where he received his MBA. Rahul Bajaj took over as the CEO of Bajaj Auto in 1968.

Many remember him for his brave decision of manufacturing his separate brand of scooters under the name ‘Chetak’ after Italian auto giant Piaggio didn’t renew his licence. He was known as the ‘fearless’ and outspoken business leader in the India Inc circle. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, Biocon’s Executive Chairperson, said she was “devastated” by the news. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw, who remembered Rahul Bajaj as a “dear, dear friend,” said that India had lost a nation-builder today. According to a PTI report, Rahul Bajaj has been sick for the past few days. According to the storey, he died about 2:30 p.m. on Saturday, according to corporate officials.

Rahul Bajaj is survived by his two sons, Sanjiv Bajaj and Rajiv Bajaj, as well as his daughter Sunaina Kejriwal. Rahul Bajaj, the chairman of Bajaj Auto, resigned on April 30 of last year. In 2006, Rahul Bajaj was elected as a member of the Rajya Sabha. In 1986, he was also the chairman of Indian Airlines.

According to a Forbes ranking from 2019, the Bajaj family is India’s 11th wealthiest family. The Bajaj family’s net worth was $9.2 billion at the time.