Veteran Congress leader n RS MP octogenarian Oscar Fernadiz breathes his last in Mengaluru hospital
A dedicated Congressman, veteran leader, former parliamentry secretary to PM Rajiv Gandhi, union minister and party general secretary in close proximity to former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi and to Nehru Gandhi family, a 24×7 politician who worked till midnight at AICC party headquarter and met general public even during odd hours, eighty years old Oscar Fernandez is no more.
He breathed his last in a private hospital at Mengaluru, sending shock waves in Congress party as well as across political spectrum.
Having served the Congress party for more than four decades as a dedicated and committed party worker n leader and later on, in various important positions like parliamentary secretary to then PM Rajiv Gandhi, earlier joint joint secretary, thereafter Karnataka Congress president, general secretary AICC and union minister of various ministries under Rajiv Gandhi, Manmohan Singh n Narsimha Rao tenures as PMs, Oscar Fernandez died after developing a clot in his brain after he was injured while doing push ups against the wall.
He was also on dialysis.
The prime minister Narendra Modi while paying his tributes to the veteran Congress leader tweeted : Saddened by the demise of the Rajya Sabha MP Shri Oscar Fernandez. In this sad hour, my thoughts and prayers are with his, family and well wishers.
The former Congress president Rahul Gandhi has expressed his, deepest condolences on the sad demise of veteran Congress leader by tweeting : My heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Shri Oscar Fernandiz ji. It is a, personal loss for me. He was a guide and mentor to many of us in the Congress party tweeted Rahul Gandhi.
it may be recalled that affable, soft spoken and loved by all, currently the Rajya Sabha MP Oscar Fernandez was a highly accessible leader in Congress and the government while he was general secretary for long stunts and minister with people meeting him even at midnight.
He was fully dedicated to the party leaving the All India Congress Committee office at late mid night hours.
Extremely close to Rajiv and Sonia Gandhi he was loved by the leaders and workers of Congress party and its all frontal organisations.
Born in 1941 at Udipi district he was one of the 12 children who was married to Blossom Fernandez n father of a, son and daughter.
Impressed by his hard work and dedicated services as joint secretary while Rajiv Gandhi was general secretary AICC, Rajiv Gandhi appointed Fernandez as his parliamentry secretary along with Arun Singh and Ahmed Patel in 1984 when Rajiv Gandhi became the prime minister after Indira Gandhi’s assassination.
A five times Lok Sabha and four times Rajya Sabha MP Oscar Fernandez was currently the Rajya Sabha MP.
He was handpicked by Sanjay Gandhi and was victorious from Udipi for the first time in 1980 at the age of 39 as MP.
A soft spoken who never lost his cool and leader with a noble heart, Oscar Fernandez worked 18 hours a day and was appointed Karnataka Pradesh Congress president in 1986 though became minister in 2004 holding independent charge of statistics and programme implementation ministry, followed by minister of youth affairs and labour ministry and thereafter in 2013 as cabinet minister of Road Transport and Highways.
He was a non controversial leader throughout his life except becoming controversial for his name associated with Associated Journals, limited and Young India, Private Ltd.
His sad demise is a huge loss to Congress party with the vaccum left difficult to be filled, ever.
pic : Twitter RG
