As the state of Tamil Nadu and the Congress party have been mourning for the demise of Congress MP and founder of Vasanth & Co H Vasanthakumar, national and state political leaders have been paying their condolences to the deceased leader, who died due to the COVID-19 viral infection on Friday at the age of 70 in Chennai.
Vasanthakumar had tested positive for the global pandemic earlier this month and he was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Chennai. He had been critical and was treated under the support of the ventilator and ECMO. His health went deteriorated and he breathed his last at around 7 pm on Friday, leaving a shock and grief for the commercial empire that he established and political career that he had been building.
After knowing his demise, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, P Chidambaram, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Randeep Surjewala, and several leaders of the state unit, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswami, DMK President MK Stalin, Puducherry Chief Minister Narayanasamy, and the leaders of the allied parties have paid their tributes to the businessman turned politician. In line with them, actor turned politician Kamal Haasan and actor and political hopeful Rajinikanth had expressed their condolences.
Taking to Twitter, Actor Rajinikanth said, "The demise of beloved friend Vasanthakumar is deeply saddening. My deepest condolences to his family and people who are suffering his loss. I pray to God that his soul may rest in peace". Rajinikanth and Vasanthakumar had observed closest ties and the Superstar and his wife Latha Rajinikanth had released the book 'Vetripadi Kattu' in 2006, which was an autobiography written by deceased leader Vasanthakumar.
அருமை நண்பர் திரு.வசந்தகுமார் அவர்களின் மறைவு மிகுந்த வருத்தமளிக்கிறது. அவர் குடும்பத்தாருக்கும், அவரைச் சார்ந்த அனைவருக்கும் என் ஆழ்ந்த அனுதாபங்கள். அவர் ஆத்மா சாந்தியடைய இறைவனை வேண்டுகிறேன்.
— Rajinikanth (@rajinikanth) August 28, 2020
In his obituary note, Chief of Makkal Needhi Maiam Kamal Haasan said, "Vasanthakumar grew the business by understanding the pain of middle-class families. Along with his, he advanced the growth of those around him. Vasanthakumar's demise, who lived impeccably in politics, is a loss to Tamil Nadu".
According to the reports, Vasanthakumar's body has been kept at his residence in T Nagar in Chennai and thousands of people, including political leaders and employees of his entities -Vasanth & Co and Vasanth TV, local residents, and his family circle have been paying their tribute to him. Since his body was brought to his residence, the visuals from on the grounds have been picturing that people have been queued up and paying their condolences.
நடுத்தரக் குடும்பங்களின் வலியறிந்து, வியாபாரத்தை வளர்த்தவர். தன்னுடைய வளர்ச்சியோடு தன்னை சுற்றியிருந்தோரையும் முன்னேற்றியவர். அரசியலிலும் கறை படியாது வாழ்ந்து, மறைந்த திரு. வசந்தகுமார் அவர்களின் மறைவு தமிழகத்திற்கே இழப்பு.
— Kamal Haasan (@ikamalhaasan) August 28, 2020
The reports stated that his body will be taken to Sathyamoorthy Bhavan, the headquarters of the Tamil Nadu Congress party, at 10.30 am on Saturday where the party leaders would be paying their tributes to the leader, who was one of the prominent figures in the party. Congress leaders Adhir Rajan Chowdhury, who is the leader of Congress party in the Lok Sabha, and Mukul Wasnik would be coming to Chennai and will be paying their condolences at around 1.30 pm on Saturday.
Vasanthakumar had etched his face in Tamil Nadu and beyond the borders through his brand Vasanth & Co, which is the largest retail home appliances chain in Tamil Nadu. He has established the firm in 1978 and he had built what has now become the largest empire. As an admirer of former Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu Kamarajar, he joined Congress party and he served as MLA for two times from Nanguneri constituency and in 2019, he contested in the Lok Sabha polls from Kanyakumari constituency and entered the Parliament for the first time by defeating BJP's leader Pon Radhakrishnan.
Vasanthakumar is the younger brother of former Tamil Nadu Congress president Kumari Anandhan and he is the niece of sitting Telangana Governor Tamilisai Soundarajan. Vasanthakumar has become the first Indian MP to die due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Born in Agateeswaram in Kanyakumari in 1950, Vasanthakumar was surviving with his wife and three children.
Comments