Oscar Fernandes, Congress stalwart passes away

<p>Congress leader Oscar Fernandes passed away at a hospital in Mangaluru&nbsp;on Monday. The 80-year-old Rajya Sabha MP&nbsp;was hospitalised and operated on for a blood clot in his brain in July after he took a fall while exercising.</p> <p>Fernandes had an illustrious career spanning almost 5 decades. He started his political journey as a member of the Municipal Council in his hometown Udupi in 1972. He would represent Udupi a total of five times as a Member of Parliament in the Lok Sabha.&nbsp;</p> <p>The former Union Minister held the Transport and Labour portfolios in the&nbsp;Manmohan Singh&nbsp;led UPA government.&nbsp;He also served as an MP in the Rajya Sabha 4 times.</p> <p>Starting as the President of the Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee&nbsp;in 1986, Fernandes was a key figure for the Indian National Congress and held several important positions within the party throughout his life &mdash; both at the state and national level.</p> <p>He was the parliamentary secretary to Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in 1984 to 1985 and is reportedly considered a trusted aide of Sonia Gandhi.<br /><br />Several Congress leaders poured in their condolences after the news of his demise. The party said that Fernandes&rsquo; vision for an inclusive India had a huge influence on the politics of our times and they will deeply miss his mentorship &amp; guidance.&nbsp;</p>