Union Minister Ananth Kumar passes away at 59

Union minister and six-time BJP MP Ananth Kumar breathed his last at a Bengaluru hospital on Monday morning.

The 59-year-old was suffering from cancer and was earlier treated at a hospital in New York. He is survived by wife Tejaswani and two daughters Aishwaraya and Vijayeta.

The Karnataka government declared a three-day mourning and a public holiday today (Nov 12) as a mark of respect to the six-time MP from Bengaluru South Lok Sabha constituency.

Kumar was the minister for parliamentary affairs in the Union Cabinet since July 2016. He has represented Bengaluru South constituency in the Lok Sabha since 1996.

He was also the minister of chemicals and fertilizers since the Narendra Modi government came into power in May 2014. He handled several other ministries in previous governments.

Meanwhile, condolences poured in with Prime Minister Narendra Modi calling him 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 tweeted. “He will always be remembered for his good work.”

President Ram Nath Kovind said his death was a “tragic loss to public life in our country”. Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Home Minister Rajnath Singh also expressed their condolences through Twitter.