Meghnad Desai, Indian-origin economist, dies at 85
Born in Gujarat's Vadodara, Desai studied economics at the University of Mumbai before completing his PhD in economics at the University of Pennsylvania.
He wrote and edited more than 20 books, along with over 200 articles for academic journals.
Desai's early works focused on the Marxian way of thought, including his first book Marxian Economic Theory (1973), which was followed by Applied Econometrics (1976) and Marxian Economics (1979).
In 1981, he wrote a critique on monetarism, an economic theory that emphasises the role of money supply in influencing economic activity and price levels.
In 2014, Desai wrote the book Who Wrote The Bhagavadgita?
He argued that some themes in the Hindu text 'reinforce social inequality and lack of concern for the other and to that extent he finds Gita to be toxic '.
Desai taught at the London School of Economics from 1965 to 2003 and later became an emeritus professor.
He was also a member of the House of Lords and a leader of the Labour Party. He served as the chairperson of the party between 1986 and 2002 and received the title of Baron in the City of Westminster in 1991.
Desai resigned as a member of the Labour Party in 2020 over its alleged failure to tackle antisemitic racism within its ranks.
In 2008, Desai was awarded the Padma Bhushan, India's third-highest civilian honour.
On Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences to Desai's family and described him as a 'distinguished thinker, writer and economist'.
Modi said on social media that the economist always 'remained connected to India and Indian culture' and played a role in deepening India-UK ties. 'Will fondly recall our discussions, where he shared his valuable insights,' the prime minister added.
Anguished by the passing away of Shri Meghnad Desai Ji, a distinguished thinker, writer and economist. He always remained connected to India and Indian culture. He also played a role in deepening India-UK ties. Will fondly recall our discussions, where he shared his valuable… pic.twitter.com/q1cv3DAXaw
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 29, 2025
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