Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Ananth Kumar died early Monday morning in Bengaluru.
* An MP from South Bengaluru, Kumar was suffering from cancer.
* Ananth Kumar is survived by his wife and two daughters.
* PM Narendra Modi pays respects to Ananth Kumar in Bengaluru:
Senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Union Minister Ananth Kumar died early Monday morning in Bengaluru. He was 59.
Parliamentary Affairs and Chemicals and Fertilisers Minister and an MP from Bengaluru South, Kumar had not been keeping well, Ministry officials said. He was undergoing treatment for cancer and had come back from the US in October after treatment at the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Centre, New York.
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 BJP member had been battling lung cancer for months.
He was born in a middle-class Brahmin family on July 22, 1959, in Bengaluru to Narayan Shastri, a railway employee, and Girija N Shastry. His early education began under the guidance of his mother who herself was a graduate.
He was a graduate in Arts and Law. His journey into public life began due to his association with the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP), a student organisation of the Sangh Pariwar, which he served in various capacities, including the state secretary and the national secretary.
Kumar had even demonstrated against the then Indira Gandhi government’s imposition of Emergency and had also got imprisoned for it for about 30 days.
Looking for bigger ground in politics, Kumar joined the Bharatiya Janata Party in 1987, where he went on to take up the responsibilities of the state secretary, state president of the Yuva Morcha, general secretary and national secretary.
Along with state BJP chief Yeddyurappa, Kumar was among a few party leaders who can be credited for the growth of BJP in Karnataka, as they built the party from the scratch, which paved the way for the installation of the first-ever saffron party government in the South.
Kumar began his parliamentary career when he got elected to Lok Sabha in 1996 from Bangalore South, the constituency which remained his strong fort till his passing sway, by winning it for six consecutive times
He enjoyed the credit of being the “youngest” minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet in 1998. He served as the civil aviation minister, also minister for tourism, sports, youth affairs & culture, urban development & poverty alleviation.
Kumar, who also held positions in various parliamentary committees, was serving as the Union Cabinet Minister for Parliamentary Affairs and Chemicals and Fertilizers in the Narendra Modi led government, after winning the 15th Lok Sabha election from Bengaluru south by defeating IT Czar Nandan Nilekani.
He was widely credited for implementing Neem Coated Urea and setting up of Jan Aushadhi Kendras with focus on affordable quality health care.
Kumar was the chief patron of Adamya Chetana, an NGO involved in social work which he runs along with his wife in the memory of his mother Girija Shastry.
Expressing his condolences, President 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 HN 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”.
Prime Minister Modi expressed sadness at the passing away of a valued colleague and friend.“Extremely saddened by the passing away of my valued colleague and friend, Shri Ananth Kumar Ji. 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 PM 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 Union 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 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.”
West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also expressed sadness at the passing away of Kumar and sent her heartfelt condolences to his family, friends and supporters.
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 wife and two daughters.
A six-time member of Parliament, Kumar had climbed the political ladder steadily from being an RSS worker to be the Union minister in his thirties.
Kumar had been in the inner circle of the central leadership of the BJP–be it during the heyday of Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Narendra Modi now.
Several Union ministers and senior leaders cutting across party lines also condoled Kumar’s demise.
Condoling Kumar’s demise, 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. “My prayers and condolences are with his loved ones in this tragic time,” he said.
“I am pained to know about the sad demise of Shri Ananth Kumar. He was like my younger brother. His death is a personal loss for me,” External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj tweeted.
Defence 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.”
“I am deeply pained at the demise of senior Union Minister and a dedicated socio-political activist Shri Ananth Kumar Ji. My heartfelt condolences to his family and well wishers,” Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said.
Karnataka Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy expressed grief over Kumar’s death, describing him as a “value based” politician who made a significant contribution to the country as a parliamentarian and a Union minister.
Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the BJP leader’s death and expressed his deepest sympathies to Kumar’s family, friends and colleagues.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal said he was saddened to hear about his demise. “My heartfelt condolences to the Family. May his soul rest in peace,” the Aam Aadmi Party convener tweeted.
Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and state Congress president Ashok Chavan also paid tributes to Kumar.
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.
“With his work, Ananth Kumar has left a mark in the BJP and the RSS. He was a gentleman and sanskari politician,” Raut said.
Ananth Kumar had been associated with politics since he was young and was well aware of issues concerning students and youth, Nationalist Congress Party leader Supriya Sule said, condoling Kumar’s death.
State and National leaders in mourning :
Ravi subramanya BJP MLA,It is painful to hear about his death.He passed away close to 2 AM.I express my condolences to his wife daughters and their relatives.It’s not a loss to his family but a loss for the state as well.As a union minister the way he worked inside and outside the parliament was something that even the opposition appreciated he added.
R.Ashoka,Senior BJP leader told media persons,it is hard for us to believe Ananth Kumar is not with us.We have been visiting him for the past four days the doctor had told us that his health was improving we felt that he would recover with the help of technology he added.
DV.Sadananda Gowda,Union Minister told media persons,It is a huge loss we were together for 30 years he was a powerhouse.He carried out his responsibilities with utmost diligence he involved himself in social causes I think that he forgot to care of himself while he involved himself in various development works he added.
Basavaraj Bommai,BJP MLA,told media persons,We have lost a great leader in the state without him we wouldn’t have got water from Krishna and Cauvery.Ananth Kumar played a big role in increasing the height of the Almatti dam.He got us justice in terms of cauvery as well he added.
Jagadish Shettar,Senior BJP leader told media persons,it is hard to believe that Ananth Kumar is not with us.I was at the hospital three days back the doctors had said that he would be back to normal we were happy now he is not with us it’s very painful to lose a friend relative and leader.He has worked hard for the party.He has contributed a lot for the development of BJP he was the BJP’s mastermind and a role model he got me into politics it is a painful loss he added.
Siddaramaiah Former Karnataka Chief Minister told media persons,He passed away too early he was a peaceful politician he involved himself at a very young age he was a national leader he started with ABVP and then with RSS he grew up there and entered politics he added.
B.S.Yeddyurappa,State BJP President told media persons,Ananth Kumar was like a bridge between the state and centre.After he became the parliamentary minister he solved many problems in our state when he wanted to practice law I told him to become a politician he added.
Dr.G.Parameshwara,Deputy Chief and Home Minister of karnataka state told media persons,He was a very good friend of mine and it has hurt me this is a huge loss to the state and the country.He was a Lok Sabha member six times and worked towards the development of the state he was a prominent leader he added.
M.B.Patil,Congress MLA told media persons,When I was the water resources minister I used to call him regarding various issues regarding the state he showed special concern for all of them.I pray that his soul rests in peace and express my condolences to his family members he added.
Shivraj Singh Chouhan,Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister told media persons,As soon as I heard the news everything went blank for me he was a hard working dedicated and well sorted out person he was a beloved minister from Karnataka today all of sudden he left us all.He left us all while doing a great job in politics and I would only to ask God if possible give us Ananth Kumar soon he added.
Harish Rawat,Former Uttarakhand Chief minister told media persons,He was my friend he had a big heart and was very kind I and my party offer our deepest condolences to his family he added.
HD.Kumaraswamy,Chief Minister of karnataka told media persons that,i lost a good friend of mine.
D.K.Shivakumar,Water resources minister told media persons,Back in those days I wanted to join the ABVP so he helped me to get into it we were close friends.In 1985 when I secured a ticket to contest assembly elections Ananth Kumar was the first one to congratulate me he added.
K.S.Eshwarappa,Senior BJP leader told media persons,our cadres would jocularily refer to me BS.Yedddyurappa and Ananth Kumar as Set dosa he added.
Suresh Kumar,BJP MLA,told media Persons that,We have lost Ananth Kumar in Karnataka we have personally seen how Ananth Kumar worked towards the development of the party we cannot believe that he has left us all.His political life and the way he tackled the smallest of issues showed us the kind of politician he was while he was the union minister we felt that karnataka had a solid representation in Delhi.We were amazed at how he solved problems for the past 32 years I have been with him in the party.This is a big loss to the BJP.We can’t think about BJP without Ananth Kumar I express my condolences to his family he added.
Chief Ministers across party lines remember the late leader.
State chief ministers expressed their grief over Kumar’s demise and remembered him the late leader. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said Kumar was a ‘popular leader’ who had a ‘deep attachment’ with the masses.
Karnataka CM H D Kumaraswamy renmembered 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.
Maharashtra 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.
The Karnataka government has declared a state wide holiday today, along with a three-day state mourning. Government offices, schools and colleges in the state would remain closed.
Further, the Ministry of Home Ministry has declared that the National Flag would fly at half mast throughout the country today and a state funeral would be accorded to Ananth Kumar.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi flew into Bengaluru on Monday night and paid respects to Union Minister Ananth Kumar at the latter’s residence in the city’s southern suburb where his body has been kept for public to pay homage.
Landing at the state-run Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd (HAL) airport in the city’s eastern suburb from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh, Modi drove to Kumar’s residence amid tight security.
After laying a wreath on the glass casket draped in tricolour in which the body was kept, Modi consoled Kumar’s widow Tejaswini.
The Prime Minister was accompanied by Karnataka Governor Vajubhai Vala and BJP state unit president B.S. Yeddyurappa.
Namma Metro :
Namma Metro Incidentally, the Namma Metro project too was approved by the Vajpayee government. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the mass transit system was approved by the Centre when Ananth Kumar was the Union Urban Development Minister in the year 2013.
Last year, when there were massive protests over the imposition of Hindi in Metro trains by the Central authorities, Ananth Kumar had taken a pro-Kannada stand. He had said that priority should be be given to the use of Kannada language — followed by Hindi and English. He had said that the Railways was using three languages (in signages and announcements in trains), and that first priority should be given to Kannada in Namma Metro. Stating Stating that the use of three languages would not only benefit local passengers but also those from other states and countries, living in Bengaluru.
