Top BJP leaders, including Modi, Shah, pay rich tributes to Kumar

Tributes poured in for Union Minister Ananth Kumar, who died of cancer Monday, from his BJP colleagues with Prime Minister Narendra Modi describing him as an able administrator and a great asset to the party.

Kumar, 59, died at a private hospital in Bengaluru in the early hours of Monday after battling lung cancer for several months, hospital authorities said.

BJP president Amit Shah said Kumar served the party and the nation with unparalleled zeal and dedication, while Home Minister Rajnath Singh said his passion and devotion for the welfare of people was commendable.

"Ananth Kumar ji was an able administrator, who handled many ministerial portfolios and was a great asset to the BJP organisation. He worked hard to strengthen the party in Karnataka, particularly in Bengaluru and surrounding areas. He was always accessible to his constituents," Modi said in his tribute.

Expressing his sadness at Kumar's death, Modi said he was a remarkable leader, who entered public life at a young age and went on to serve society with utmost diligence and compassion.

He will always be remembered for his good work, he added.

Shah said he was grief stricken to learn about Kumar's untimely demise.

"He served the nation and organisation with unparalleled zeal and dedication. Ananth ji worked tirelessly to strengthen the BJP in the state of Karnataka. He was a remarkable administrator who served various ministerial portfolios. His passing away has left a void in the BJP and Indian polity that can not be filled soon," he tweeted.

In his tweet, Singh said Kumar was a seasoned parliamentarian who served the nation in several capacities and whose passion and devotion for the welfare of people was commendable.

Kumar breathed his last around 2 am with his wife Tejaswini and two daughters by his bedside, Sankara Hospital Director Nagaraj told PTI.

He had come back to Bengaluru only recently after undergoing treatment in the US and Britain. He was later under treatment at the Sankara Hospital here.

Representing Bengaluru South in the Lok Sabha for a sixth straight term, Kumar had been a key leader in the BJP for over two decades, serving as a minister in its first government led by Atal Bihari Vajpayee and in the current Modi dispensation as well, besides being a member of the party's parliamentary board.