Mangaluru, Mar 4: Venur Dhananjay Kumar, a Vajpayee-era Union Minister who worked in all of Karnataka's three main parties, including the Congress, died in Mangaluru on Monday.
He was 68, and suffering from a prolonged illness.
V Dhananjay Kumar held the civil aviation and tourism portfolios as a cabinet minister under Atal Bihari Vajpayee (16 May 1996 - 2 June 1996), and later, handled finance (1999-2000) and textiles (2000-2002) as a minister of state.
Born in Karnataka's Dakshina Kannada district in 1951, Kumar earned degrees in science and law and held a number of influential positions in a political career that spanned decades.
He was first elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991, and would serve on committees on industry, steel and mines, commerce and petroleum. He headed the BJP's unit in Dakshina Kannada for four years, between 1986 and 1990.
He entered politics as BJP Youth wing leader. He entered Karnataka Legislative Assembly in 1983 and he was elected to the Lok Sabha in 1991 by defeating senior Congress leader and former Union Minister B Janardhana Poojary.
He had left the saffron party with BS Yeddyurappa, a former chief minister of Karnataka and joined latter’s Karnataka Janata Party. After Yeddyurappa’s reentry to BJP, Dhananjay Kumar migrated to the Janata Dal (Secular) and then joined Congress.
Comments
Add new comment