Eminent bureaucrat Alexander passes away

Chennai, Aug 10 (PTI) Seasoned Indian bureaucrat P C
Alexander, a close aide of former Prime Minister Indira
Gandhi, died of cancer at a hospital here on Wednesday at the
age of 90.
Alexander, who had served as governor of states of
Maharashtra and Tamil Nadu, was undergoing treatment at Madras
Medical Mission Hospital for the last few weeks and breathed
his last this morning, hospital sources said.
He is survived by wife, two sons and two daughters.
Alexander, a Rajya Sabha (the upper house of Indian
Parliament) member from 2002-2008, held eminent positions in
his five-decades long career as a public servant.
Alexander's name was considered for the post of President
during the National Democratic Alliance rule in 2002 to
succeed K R Narayanan but he lost the race due to certain
political complexities at the time, leading to the election of
APJ Abdul Kalam. An upset Alexander had then resigned as
Maharashtra Governor.
He held the gubernatorial post for over 11 years both in
Tamil Nadu and Maharashtra.
In his bureaucratic career, Alexander, an 1948 batch IAS
officer, left his own imprint for his standards of efficiency,
impartiality and integrity.
It was these qualities that took him to the post of
Principal Secretary to late Prime Ministers Indira Gandhi and
Rajiv Gandhi from 1981 to 85.
Alexander served as High Commissioner for India in
London and held senior posts in the UN Civil Service for 10
years.
Enriched by his rich administrative experience, Alexander
had won the acclaim and admiration as a gifted and erudite
speaker on a wide range of subjects.
Alexander has authored several books, articles and
research papers. Some of books include "My Years with Indira
Gandhi", "The Perils of Democracy" and "India in the New
Millennium.". PTI DSJ
ASR