Patna, Jan. 2: With the death of Baliram Bhagat (89), Bihar has lost a strong link between the state Congress and the Nehru-Gandhi family, which he was. The veteran parliamentarian today died at a Delhi hospital. He is survived by wife Vidya Bhagat, son and daughter.

That he was a pillar of strength to the Nehru-Gandhi family was evident from the fact that he was the Speaker of fifth Lok Sabha during 1976-77 when then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi had clamped Emergency in India, drawing flak and a virtual civil unrest throughout the country.

His reach and trust in the longest ruling family of India lasted even after the death of Indira Gandhi. Bhagat was minister for external affairs from 1985 to 1986 in the Rajiv Gandhi government. He was also the governor of Himachal Pradesh during 1993 and same of Rajasthan from 1993 to 1998.

Though Bhagat seldom took keen interest in the politics of the state, he represented the Lok Sabha seats from north to south Bihar. While he represented the Sitamarhi and Samastipur seats from north Bihar, he also represented the Ara seat in south Bihar in the Lok Sabha. The old-timers recall that Bhagat, also a freedom fighter, was a man of probity, who kept away from corruption, controversy and also the intrigue associated with state politics then.

While his contemporaries, Jagannath Mishra, Bhagwat Jha Azad and even Sitaram Kesri had their strong “coteries” in the state politics, Bhagat never nursed the ambition to get the state chief minister’s post or any important post in the Bihar Congress.

In the last days of his life, he had virtually left Bihar where he was born and was brought up and settled in Delhi.

Born in a backward class family on October 7, 1922 in Mehdiganj of Patna when his caste was identified with illiteracy and primordial way of living, Bhagat did his graduation and went on to attain masters from Patna University.