New Delhi: Senior Congress leader Oscar Fernandes passed away at a private hospital in Mangaluru on Monday. The 80-year-old Rajya Sabha MP was hospitalised after he suffered a head injury while doing Yoga at his home in July this year. According to reports, he was admitted in ICU following a surgery to remove a clot in his brain and breathed his last earlier today.
A well-respected politician, Fernandes was considered a trusted aide of both - Congress President Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi. Known as a man for all seasons, Fernandes has held many key posts in the Manmohan Singh Government and also in the party.
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He had served as Union Road Transport Minister in the UPA government. He was also the Chairman of Central Election Authority of the All India Congress Committee and also served as Parliamentary Secretary to Rajiv Gandhi.
Oscar Fernandes was elected to the Lok Sabha from Karnataka's Udupi constituency in 1980 and then re-elected to the Lok Sabha from the same constituency in 1984, 1989, 1991 and 1996. A five-term Lok Sabha MP from Udupi, Fernandes was first elected to the Upper House in 1998 and then re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2004.
Born on March 27, 1941, Fernandes was one of the 12 children born to his parents Roque Fernandes and Leonissa M Fernandes. Son of a school teacher, Fernandes studied at Cecilia’s Convent, MGM College in Udupi and graduated in arts. Fernandes was a trained performer of traditional dance forms Kuchipudi and Yakshagana.
Married to Blossom Fernandes, he has two children. Fernandes is survived by his wife, a son and a daughter.