Union Minister Ananth Kumar passed away in the early hours of Monday. Kumar died at a private hospital in Bengaluru. Being the chemical and fertilizer minister Kumar was involved with the affairs of cooperative giants such as IFFCO and Kribhco.
Mourning his death IFFCO MD tweeted “Saddened to hear about the untimely demise of Union Minister of Chemicals & Fertilisers, Shri #AnanthKumar @AnanthKumar_BJP, in #Bengaluru, earlier this morning. He was a seasoned parliamentarian & good leader. My heartfelt condolences to his family. May his soul rest in peace.”
Kribhco Chairman Dr Chandra Pal Singh Yadav also reacted with a sense of shock when this correspondent broke the news to him. Yadav said” Ananth Kumarji was an amiable person who made several attempts to solve the fertilizer sector problems; his efforts to clear the backlog of subsidy would always be remembered”, Yadav who is also the President of NCUI added.
Sahakar Bharati Patron Satish Marathe also expressed his grief, “For CoOps, it’s a Big Loss ! Sahakar Bharati mourns the passing away of redoubtable Ananth Kumarji!”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Rannath Kovind and several of his ministerial colleagues expressed shock and dismay at Kumar’s death.
Modi tweeted “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 also talked to Kumar’ wife and expressed condolences. Kumar was suffering from cancer and is survived by wife and two daughters.
Born in a middle class family on July 22, 1959, Kumar was one of the few ministers to have served in the earlier NDA government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee. In fact, he was the “youngest” minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s cabinet in 1998 and served as the Civil Aviation minister, also Minister for Tourism, Sports, Youth Affairs and Culture, Urban Development and Poverty Alleviation, reports NDTV.
On his death President 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”.