George Fernandes, who was suffering from Alzheimer’s, was the defence minister during the Kargil war.
New Delhi: Former Union defence minister George Fernandes passed away early Tuesday after prolonged illness. He was 88.
Family sources confirmed to The Print that Fernandes, an Alzheimer’s patient, breathed his last at his residence.
He had been bed-ridden for a long time. The Vajpayee-era minister’s last stint as a parliamentarian was as a Rajya Sabha member between August 2009 and July 2010.
Sources said he was surrounded by his family at the time of his death.
His old-time ally and former Samta Party colleague Jaya Jaitly had visited him at his residence, they added.
The Union Defence Ministry tweeted a condolence message just after Fernandes’ death was announced, saying he would be remembered for his “bold decisions towards strengthening the forces”.
. @DefenceMinIndia expresses deep condolences on passing away of the former Raksha Mantri George Fernandes. Responsible for the defence of the Country between 1998 – 2004, Mr Fernandes will be remembered for his bold decisions towards strengthening the forces. pic.twitter.com/Kzi4G8dgfN
— ADG (M&C) DPR (@SpokespersonMoD) January 29, 2019
Also read: Unlike anti-Congressism, politics of anti-BJPism is still to ripen in 2019
A popular defence minister
A native of Mangaluru, Fernandes was the co-founder of the Samta Party. Much like several of his contemporaries, he first made his mark as an anti-Emergency crusader and civil rights activist.
His maiden stint at the Centre came when he was made Union Minister in the Janata Party government headed by Morarji Desai between 1977 and 1980.
He was later part of the NDA government headed by Atal Bihari Vajpayee, helming the crucial defence portfolio. He was the defence minister when the Kargil battle broke out in 1999.
Fernades stepped down as Defence Minister in 2004 over allegations of corruption in the purchase of coffins for Kargil martyrs, but was absolved by two commissions of inquiry.
He was a popular defence minister who made it a point to visit soldiers in Siachen. He is said to have made 18 visits to the icy heights of the Siachen glacier, the world’s highest battlefield.
He was known to interact with soldiers, especially jawans, during his visits. Fernandes had once made senior officials of the Defence Ministry visit Siachen to give them a first-hand feel of what soldiers undergo.
His years as raksha mantri were marked by a huge increase in the defence budget as compared to the allocations made by previous governments.
Following the Pokhran nuclear tests in 1998, Fernandes is said to have termed China “India’s enemy number one”, a statement he later termed a media concoction.
This report was updated with the condolence message of the Union Defence Ministry.
He was a staunch critic of RSS as well whose membership he questioned during Janata Party rule resulting in collapse.