Union Minister Ananth Kumar dies at age 59 – “Tragic Loss” – President
Senior BJP leader and cabinet minister Ananth Kumar has faced his demise. He died at 2 in the morning at a hospital in Bengaluru. He was 59 years old at the time of his death. The union minister was suffering from cancer. He had recently returned from the United States of America last month. He was being treated at a cancer institute in New York.
The wife and two daughters of Ananth Kumar were with him during his last moments. His body will be kept at National College in Bengaluru for last tributes.
He was a part of the group of ministers who had served in the earlier NDA government led Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Kumar was actually the youngest minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet in 1998. He has served as the Civil Aviation Minister and also as the Minister for Tourism, Sports, Youth Affairs and Culture, Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation.
He is remembered as one of the first people to speak in Kannada in the United Nations. The President of India, Ram Nath Kovind tweeted, “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.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also offered his condolences to the family. He said, “Extremely saddened 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.”
The demise of Ananth Kumar is truly a blow to the BJP in the south, not only as a political party but as a long-standing institution.
