H Vasanthakumar, Congress MP from Kanyakumari, dies of COVID-19; he was 70

Congress MP from Tamil Nadu and party’s working president in state, H Vasanthakumar passed away Friday due to COVID-19-related complications, media reports said.

The MP had tested positive for coronavirus on 10 August and was admitted at Chennai’s Apollo Hospital for treatment.

The Kanyakumari MP was on ventilator support since 17 August.

Earlier today, a  The Hindu  report had quoted hospital authorities a saying that the 70-year-old MP was being treated by a team of doctors for severe COVID pneumonia and his clinical condition were critical.

Condolonce messages poured in for the Congress leader on Twitter. His party colleague and fellow MP Karti Chidambaram remembered the leader as a “good friend”. The Sivaganga MP too had tested positive for coronavirus on 3 August and has since recovered.

You will be missed #Vasanthakumar. I have so many fond memories with him. He was an elder colleague and a good friend. ⁦@vasanthakumarH⁩ pic.twitter.com/iG3pl54rUL

— Karti P Chidambaram (@KartiPC) August 28, 2020

Congress MP from Virudhunagar, Manickam Tagore offered heartfelt condolences.

Deeply saddened at the untimely demise of Kamarajar follower Mrs Gandhi loyalists resolute Congressman my colleague in Loksabha & Working President of @INCTamilNadu - Annachi H #Vasanthakumar.we
will always miss him deeply. Heartfelt condolences to family & well wishers. RIP.😭 pic.twitter.com/mUe9Mq9cnR

— Manickam Tagore .B🇮🇳மாணிக்கம் தாகூர்.ப (@manickamtagore) August 28, 2020

Senior Congress leaders KC Venugopal and Randeep Singh Surjewala also condoled the leader’s death.

Deeply Saddened & shocked to hear about the sudden & untimely demise of our colleague & dear friend H. #Vasanthakumar, MP from Kanyakumari & TNCC Working President. Heartfelt condolences from @INCIndia to his family and friends in this time of grief. pic.twitter.com/I8bjtNgz4Z

— K C Venugopal (@kcvenugopalmp) August 28, 2020

Deeply saddened at the untimely demise of a born fighter, resolute Congressman, M.P & Working President of TNCC - Sh. H. Vasanthakumar.

All of us, along with lakhs of his supporters, will always miss him deeply. Heartfelt condolences to family & well wishers. RIP. pic.twitter.com/TyCyzCRIgK

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) August 28, 2020

Congress party leader and Tamil actor Khushbu Sundar wrote: “We always use to call you #PunnagaiMannan Your warm smile,your easy approach towards a crisis,you wearing #Congress batch with supreme pride on your sleeves,never shying away from hardwork, your commitment to serve the poor. Everything will be missed #Vasanthakumar Avl. #RIP (sic)”

Vasanthakumar was also a noted businessman from Tamil Nadu. He was the co-founder of the state’s biggest appliances retail chain Vasanth and Co and also ran a Tamil language TV channel, Vasanth TV, according to his profile on the Vasanth and Co website.

Before heading to the Lok Sabha in 2019, Vasanthakumar was a two-time MLA in the Tamil Nadu Assembly. He was first elected to the Assembly from Nanguneri constituency in 2006, and thereafter in 2016.

Vasanthakumar, however, resigned from his seat after successfully contesting from Kanyakumari Parliamentary constituency in the 2019 Lok Sabha election. He had defeated the BJP’s sitting MP and then a Union minister Pon Radhakrishnan by a huge margin, according to NewsMinute .