Bhubaneswar: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik and other political leaders from Odisha on Monday expressed grief over the untimely demise of Union Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ananth Kumar.
“Sad to hear the untimely passing away of Union Minister Shri Ananth Kumar. My condolences to the bereaved family and wish they get the strength to cope with such a great loss. May his soul rest in peace,” tweeted Naveen.
Sad to hear the untimely passing away of Union Minister Shri #AnanthKumar. My condolences to the bereaved family and wish they get the strength to cope with such a great loss. May his soul rest in peace
— Naveen Patnaik (@Naveen_Odisha) November 12, 2018
Dharmendra Pradhan expressed his sympathy with the family and referred to Kumar as ‘an elder brother’.
Extremely saddened that Shri Ananth Kumar ji is no more with us. A veteran parliamentarian and an astute politician, he was not only a dear colleague but also like an elder brother to me. My thoughts and prayers are with his family in these difficult times. Om Shanti.
— Dharmendra Pradhan (@dpradhanbjp) November 12, 2018
Union Minister of Tribal Affairs Jual Oram also tweeted about his colleague’s untimely death.
Deeply anguished over sad demise of my valued colleague Union Minister Sri Ananth Kumar ji. His loss leaves us all saddened. His work & commitment to the party shall remain an inspiration for all of us.
I join the family in their prayers.
ॐ शान्ति।
— Jual Oram (@jualoram) November 12, 2018
BJP state president Basanta Panda too expressed grief over his death.
Kumar, 59, was suffering from lung cancer and had returned to India a month back after treatment in New York, according to a report in NDTV. He passed away at a private hospital in Bengaluru, reportedly due to multiple organ failure, on Monday.
The Minister from Karnataka is survived by wife Tejaswini and two daughters Aishwarya and Vijayeta.
