Union Minister Ananth Kumar passes away, PM Modi condoles Kumar’s demise

New Delhi : Ananth Kumar, Union minister in the Narendra Modi cabinet and BJP’s leader in Karnataka Monday morning passed away in Bengaluru y. He was 59. Kumar had been battling lung cancer for several months. The senior BJP leader had been on a ventilator in the Intensive Care Unit for the last few days. Kumar will be accorded a state funeral. A three-day state mourning has been declared in Karnataka.
Kumar breathed his last at around 2.00 A.M with his wife Tejaswini and two daughters by his bedside, a media report quoted Sankara Hospital Director Nagaraj as saying so. He returned to Bengaluru only recently after undergoing treatment in the United States and Britain.Kumar served as Union Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers since May 2014 and Minister for Parliamentary Affairs since July 2016. He represented the Bengaluru South constituency in Lok Sabha. The state BJP said Kumar’s body will be kept at the National College Ground for public to pay their last respects.In his condolence message, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said Kumar worked hard to strengthen the party in Karnataka.
“Ananth Kumar Ji was an able administrator, who handled many ministerial portfolios and was a great asset to the BJP organisation. He worked hard to strengthen the Party in Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru and surrounding areas. He was always accessible to his constituents..I spoke to his wife, Dr. Tejaswini Ji and expressed condolences on the passing away of Shri Ananth Kumar Ji. My thoughts are with his entire family, friends and supporters in this hour of grief and sadness. Om Shanti,” he tweeted.