Congress leader Oscar Fernandes passes away at 80, partymen condole death

Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, 80, passed away on Monday. He was admitted to Yenapoya hospital in Mangaluru after he reportedly suffered a head injury earlier this year.

Mangaluru:Former union minister and senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes, 80, passed away on Monday. He was admitted to Yenapoya hospital in Mangaluru after he suffered critical injuries in an accident, earlier this year.

Fernandes was receiving treatment at an Intensive Care Unit at Yenepoya since July. The leader had undergone surgery at the hospital and went into coma.

Oscar Fernandes was born on March 27, 1941 to Roque Fernandes (famous headmaster of Board high school, Udupi) and Leonissa Fernandes who served as the first lady Bench Magistrate of undivided South Canara district in Karnataka.

Fernandes was elected to the Lok Sabha for the first time in 1980 from the Udupi constituency. Later, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1998 and got re-elected to the upper house in 2004.

He also served as Union Minister from 2004 to 2009 in the UPA I government and handled portfolios like NRI Affairs, Youth and Sports Affairs, Statistics and Programme Implementation and Labour and Employment.

Senior Congress leaders have consoled the death of Fernandes. Congress general secretary KC Venugopal remember saying he is an irreplaceable organisational leader.

"Extremely saddened by the demise of stalwart Shri Oscar Fernandes. An irreplaceable mentor & hardworking organisational leader, Oscar ji contributed immensely towards the betterment of the nation & the party," Venugopal tweeted.

"Deeply saddened to inform that Shri Oscar Fernandesji passed away in a hospital in Mangalore!" tweeted Dr Syed Naseer Hussain-MP, Rajya Sabha.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi's office also consoled the death of the veteran Congress leader.

"Saddened by the demise of Rajya Sabha MP Shri Oscar Fernandes Ji. In this sad hour, my thoughts and prayers are with his family and well-wishers. May his soul rest in peace," the PMO said in a tweet.

Rahul Gandhi condoled the demise of senior party leader Oscar Fernandes on Monday, remembering him as a guide and mentor.

"My heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Shri Oscar Fernandes Ji. It is a personal loss for me. He was a guide and mentor to many of us in the Congress party," Gandhi said on Twitter.

Congress chief Sonia Gandhi too condoled the death of her trusted aide.

"A Congressman to the core, a veteran Parliamentarian, a sensitive Minister who championed the cause of labour & underprivileged, a dedicated organisation builder at all levels and an individual firmly anchored in the grassroots-- Shri Oscar Fernandes was all of this and much more," she said.

"His humility, affability, simplicity, and integrity will remain an inspiration to all in public life. His demise is a huge loss for each and every Congress worker and indeed for the entire country. I salute this remarkable colleague who enriched our lives and made so many contributions. My heartfelt condolences to his family," she added.