Congress MP from Bihar dead

Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha member from Bihar's Kishanganj, Maulana Asrar-ul-Haque Qasmi, passed away early on Friday following a heart attack. He was 76.

According to district officials, he died at the Kishanganj Circuit House. He will be buried in his Tarabadi village.

Qaxmi, a noted Islamic scholar, was a popular face of the Congress in Bihar, particularly in Seemanchal comprising Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria and Katihar districts.

He won the Kishanganj seat in the 2009 general elections after five consecutive defeats. He retained the constituency in 2014 despite the Modi wave, defeating the BJP's Dilip Kumar Jaiswal by over 1 lakh votes.

He was a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and a founder member of the All India Milli Council.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Congress leaders including its President Rahul Gandhi expressed grief over the demise of Qasmi.

Congress leaders Mallikarjun Kharge and Ghulam Nabi Azad also condoled his death.

--IANS

and/mr