Mangaluru, March 4: Former Union minister and a former Member of Parliament (MP) from Mangalore, Venur Dhananjay Kumar, passed away on Monday, March 4, after a prolonged illness. Kumar was admitted to a private hospital in Mangaluru four months ago as his health condition worsened. According to reports, the 67-year-old was suffering illness for a long time. George Fernandes Dies: Former Defence Minister Breathes His Last at 88.

Kumar served as a cabinet minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism (CAT ) in 1996, Union Minister of State for Finance from 1999–2000 and Union Minister of State for Textiles from 2000–2003. Kumar was also the Special Representative of the Karnataka Government to the Union Government in New Delhi.

The 67-year-old leader began his political career in the youth wing of BJP (Bharatiya Janta Party) in 1983 and went on to become became an MP and worked as a minister in the central government. When BS Yeddyurappa established the Karnataka Janata Party (KJP), he joined the same. Although Yeddyurappa joined BJP later, Dhananjay was denied entry into BJP by the top leaders of the party. Then he joined the Indian National Congress (INC) party.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 04, 2019 03:53 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).