NEW DELHI: President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and other leaders across the political spectrum condoled the death of Union minister Ananth Kumar in a Bengaluru hospital on Monday.
The 59-year-old Union Parliamentary Affairs minister and long-time Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) member was battling lung cancer for months.
Expressing his condolences, Kovind said Kumar’s death was a tragic loss to public life in the country.
“Sad to hear of the passing of Union minister and veteran parliamentarian Shri H.N. Ananth Kumar. This is a tragic loss to public life in our country and particularly for the people of Karnataka. My condolences to his family, colleagues and countless associates,” he tweeted.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu described Kumar as a “colleague for years together, from students’ movement to Parliament” and hailed him as a “dedicated statesman”.
Modi expressed sadness at the passing away of a “valued colleague and friend”.
“He was a remarkable leader, who entered public life at a young age and went on to serve society with utmost diligence and compassion. He will always be remembered for his good work,” Modi tweeted.
Describing Kumar as an able administrator, the prime minister said he was a great asset to the BJP.
“He worked hard to strengthen the party in Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru and surrounding areas. He was always accessible to his constituents,” Modi said.
“I spoke to his wife, Dr. Tejaswini Ji and expressed condolences on the passing away of Shri Ananth Kumar Ji. My thoughts are with his entire family, friends and supporters in this hour of grief and sadness. Om Shanti,” he said.
BJP president Amit Shah said Kumar served the party and the nation with “unparalleled zeal and dedication”, while Home Minister Rajnath Singh said his passion and devotion for the welfare of people was commendable.
Shah said he was grief stricken to learn about Kumar’s untimely demise.
“… Ananth ji worked tirelessly to strengthen the BJP in the state of Karnataka. He was a remarkable administrator who served various ministerial portfolios. His passing away has left a void in the BJP and Indian polity that cannot be filled soon,” he tweeted.
Congress chief Rahul Gandhi in a tweet, said: “I’m sorry to hear about the passing of Union Minister, Shri Ananth Kumar ji, in Bengaluru, earlier this morning. My condolences to his family & friends. May his soul rest in peace. Om Shanti.”
Kumar was suffering from cancer and had come back from the US in October after treatment at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
A six-time Member of Parliament, Kumar had climbed the political ladder steadily from being a worker of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) to be the Union minister in his thirties.
Kumar was in the inner circle of the central leadership of the BJP – be it during the heyday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Narendra Modi now.
Chief Ministers cutting across party lines expressed their grief over Kumar’s demise and remembered him as a diligent party worker and an exceptional politician.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Kumar was a “popular leader” who had a “deep attachment” with the masses.
Karnataka Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy described him as a “value based” politician who made a significant contribution to the country as a parliamentarian and a Union minister.
Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami said Kumar had joined politics at a young age with the aim of doing public service.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was saddened to hear about his demise, while West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee sent her heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and supporters.
Maharastra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state Congress president Ashok Chavan too paid their tributes to Kumar.
Telangana Caretaker Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao remembered Kumar’s services as a parliamentarian and political leader and conveyed condolences to the bereaved family.
Several Union ministers and senior leaders also condoled Kumar’s death.
Youth Affairs and Sports and Information and Broadcasting minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore said his death was a tremendous loss to the party, Bengaluru and India.
Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman tweeted: “Deep sense of grief on hearing that Shri @AnanthKumar_BJP is no more with us. Served @BJP4India @BJP4Karnataka all along. Bengaluru was in his head and heart, always. May God give his family the strength to bear with this loss.”
Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said he was “deeply pained” at the demise of Kumar who was a “dedicated socio-political activist”.
Shiv Sena spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut said Kumar was an “excellent” parliamentary affairs minister and had a good rapport with leaders from all political parties.
Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Supriya Sule said, Kumar was well aware of issues concerning students and youth as she condoled his death. PTI
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