He made his debut as a Member of Parliament in 1972 for the Akola constituency in the Vidarbha region of Maharashtra.

[citation needed] He was a member of the Consultative Committee of the Planning commission in 1972 before holding key portfolios as the Union Minister of Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in 1980, Chemicals and Fertilizers in 1982, Steel, Mines & Coal in 1985, Energy in 1986, and Communications from 1988–1989.

He was also the Chairman of Indo-Japan Study Committee from 1992–95 and became President of the Indian Council for Cultural Relations in 1993.

He has 3 children: Two daughters Suhas and Suniti and a son, Subhash who is an industrialist at Gurgaon near Delhi.

He complained of chest pain late in the evening and was rushed to a private hospital, where doctors declared him dead.