New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes died on Monday at a private hospital in Mangaluru. The 80-year-old Rajya Sabha MP was hospitalized in July this year after suffering a head injury while doing yoga at his home. According to reports, he was admitted to the ICU after a surgery to remove a clot in his brain and breathed his last today.
A respected politician, Fernandes was considered a trusted ally of both Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Known as a man of all seasons, Fernandes has held several important positions in the Manmohan Singh government and in the party as well.
Read also | Thousands crowd to pay last respects to Kashmir’s sub-inspector shot in suspected terror attack
He had served as the Union Road Transport Minister in the UPA government. He was also the Chairman of the Central Election Authority of the All India Congress Committee and also served as the Parliamentary Secretary to Rajiv Gandhi.
Oscar Fernandes was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1980 from the Udupi constituency of Karnataka and was re-elected to the Lok Sabha from the same constituency in 1984, 1989, 1991 and 1996. A five-time Lok Sabha MP from Udupi, Fernandes was elected for the first time. Re-elected to the Upper House in 1998 and then to the Rajya Sabha in 2004.
Born on March 27, 1941, Fernandes was one of 12 children born to his parents Roc Fernandes and Leonissa M. Fernandes. The son of a school teacher, Fernandes studied at Cecilia Convent, MGM College, Udupi and graduated in Arts. Fernandes was a trained performer of the traditional dance forms Kuchipudi and Yakshagana.
Married to Blossom Fernandes, she has two children. Fernandes is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.
.