TN CM, Stalin express grief over Ananth Kumar's demise

Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K Palaniswami and DMK President M K Stalin condoled the death of Union Minister Ananth Kumar, who passed away in Bengaluru on Monday.

Kumar (59), Parliamentary Affairs and Chemicals and Fertilizers Minister, died at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday after battling lung cancer for several months.

Expressing grief over the senior Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader's demise, Palaniswami said Kumar had joined politics at a young age with the aim of doing public service.

"He had the distinction of being elected MP for six times from Bengaluru South from 1996 to 2014," Palaniswami said in a statement, expressing sympathy with Kumar's family.

Stalin, Leader of Opposition in the state assembly, also condoled Kumar's demise.

"Very sad to hear the demise of Union Minister Thiru (Mr) Ananth Kumar. My sincere condolences to his family and near ones," the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) leader said in a tweet.

The BJP's state President Tamilisai Soundararajan, said Kumar's demise was not only a loss for the party's Karnataka unit, but also for the country.

He "efficiently coordinated" Parliament's affairs and was instrumental in the BJP's growth in south India, she said on Twitter.

"He was a guide for Tamil Nadu BJP unit," she added.