Former Chairman of Bajaj Auto Rahul Bajaj passes away at 83

Veteran industrialist and the former chairman of Bajaj Auto, Rahul Bajaj passed away at 83. The industrialist had pneumonia and also a heart problem. He was admitted to the Ruby Hall Clinic a month ago.



In April 2021, Bajaj stepped down as non-executive chairman of Bajaj Auto, ceding the position to his cousin, Niraj Bajaj. Rahul Bajaj was awarded with the third-highest civilian award Padma Bhushan in 2001. During the Covid lockdowns over the past two years, Bajaj and his son and Bajaj Auto managing director Rajiv Bajaj were in the news every now and then for criticising several of the govt's decisions.


"It is with deep sorrow that I inform you about the passing away of Shri Rahul Bajaj, husband of the late Rupa Bajaj and father of Rajiv/Deepa, Sanjiv/Shefali and Sunaina/Manish. He passed away on the afternoon of 12th February, 2022 in the presence of his closest family members," a statement from Bajaj Group read.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a twitter post recalled Rahul Bajaj's contributions.


Bajaj was a former member of the Rajya Sabha. Besides, he had been the chairman of the International Business Council, World Economic Forum. Taking to Twitter, Union Minister Nitin Gadkari said, "My heartfelt tributes to Rahul Bajaj ji, a successful entrepreneur, philanthropist and former chairman of Bajaj. I had a personal relationship with Padma Bhushan awardee Rahul ji for many years. Rahul ji, who has led the Bajaj Group for the last five decades, has been instrumental in the industry. May God rest the departed soul and give strength to the family members. Om Shanti."

He took over a Chief Executive Officer of Bajaj Auto in 1968 and was appointed as Managing Director in 1972. He also served as President of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) from 1979 to 1980 and president of Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers (SIAM). He was appointed as Chairman of the erstwhile Indian Airlines from 1986-89 and became CII President for a second time during 1999-2000.

In 2005, Rahul Bajaj stepped down from his role and his son Rajiv became the Group's managing director. Bajaj got elected to the Rajya Sabha, India's Upper House of Parliament in the 2006-2010 period.