New Delhi: Union Minister of State (MoS) for Railways Suresh Angadi, who was undergoing treatment for COVID-19, breathed his last on Wednesday evening at All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi.
Angadi, the first sitting minister to succumb to the novel coronavirus, was 65.
He had tested positive for the deadly virus on September 11, but he was asymptomatic at that time and had said he was “doing fine.” Thereafter, Angadi’s condition became serious and he had to be hospitalized a week ago. He is survived by his wife and two daughters.
Expressing his condolence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweeted: “Shri Suresh Angadi was an exceptional Karyakarta, who worked hard to make the Party strong in Karnataka. He was a dedicated MP and effective Minister, admired across the spectrum. His demise is saddening. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this sad hour. Om Shanti.”
Shri Suresh Angadi was an exceptional Karyakarta, who worked hard to make the Party strong in Karnataka. He was a dedicated MP and effective Minister, admired across the spectrum. His demise is saddening. My thoughts are with his family and friends in this sad hour. Om Shanti. pic.twitter.com/2QDHQe0Pmj
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) September 23, 2020
A BJP Lok Sabha MP, Angadi won from the Belagavi constituency in Karnataka.
Nine Union ministers, including Home minister Amit Shah and Road and Transport minister Nitin Gadkari, have tested positive for COVID-19. But they have all recovered.