Mumbai, the city which moulded Fernandes, catapulted him on national scene

George Fernandes was born in Mangalore, but it was Mumbai which shaped him as a fiery union leader and made him famous as the "giant killer" who defeated Congress stalwart S K Patil in the 1967 Lok Sabha elections.

Recalling the veteran socialist's association with the city, CPI leader Prakash Reddy told PTI Patil, who represented the Bombay South Lok Sabha seat, was then called the "uncrowned king of Bombay".

Mumbai at that time had a tradition of strong labour movement in the industrial sector, civic body and small businesses known as 'gumasta', he said.

Fernandes stood up for the workers of the civic body, BEST (Brihanmumbai Electricity Supply and Transport) undertaking and gumasta workers and fought for their rights. He made a name for himself among the labour class in the 1960s, Reddy said.

"Patil was a very powerful leader. He was invincible. George said S K Patil can be defeated and decided to contest against him. He got the backing of the labour," the CPI leader recalled.

But before that, it was the externment of union leader Placid D'Mello from Mumbai which got Fernandes into the labour movement, said Ranga Raichure, a long-time friend.

"Thanks to the externment notice, D'Mello brought Fernandes, whom he knew as a sharp and intelligent boy, into the union. George was living on the footpath then," Raichure told PTI.

During the Sanyukta Maharashtra movement in 1950s and 1960s, the mood of people in Mumbai was anti-Congress since the party was perceived to be against the inclusion of Bombay into the state of Maharashtra.

"All major unions of the civic body, BEST and small businesses in Mumbai were set up by George Fernandes. This helped George defeat S K Patil, who was close to top industrialists," Prakash Reddy said.

"Fernandes painted the walls with a simple message: Patil can be defeated. He got over 48 per cent of votes,"