Oscar Fernandes, long-time Rajiv Gandhi aide and 9-term MP, dies at 80

Aditi Tandon

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Tribune News Service

New Delhi, September 13

Veteran Congressman and sitting Rajya Sabha member from Karnataka Oscar Fernandes passed away on Monday, after more than four decades of active political and parliamentary life.

He was 80.

Born in Karnataka’s Udupi, Fernandes began his political career as member, municipal council, Udupi, in 1972 and went on to become a first time Lok Sabha MP in 1980.

He was a nine-term MP (five terms in Lok Sabha and four in RS).

Also read: PM Modi condoles death of Oscar Fernandes

Subsequently he was re-elected to the Lok Sabha five times until 1997.

Fernandes then entered Rajya Sabha in 1998 where he was currently representing Karnataka.

Considered close to Congress President Sonia Gandhi, Fernandes served in varied ministerial capacities under the UPA regime graduating from minister of state in UPA 1 to cabinet rank in UPA 2, handling road transport and highways and labour portfolios.

Fernandes was a long time Congress Working Committee member, rising in the organisational hierarchy from the post of Karnataka Congress president.

He also served as party general secretary for many years.

Fernandes’ rise within the Congress was courtesy his proximity to late prime minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Rajiv Gandhi upon assuming prime minister ship had retained PC Alexander, the powerful principal secretary to late the PM Indira Gandhi, who had created this post in 1971 with the appointment of PN Haksar.

However, within months of Rajiv Gandhi assuming charge as PM, his office was hit by a spy scandal with the private secretary to Alexander named as one of the 19 accused after a five-month investigation into the alleged spy ring racket said to have infiltrated the PMO in 1982 when Indira Gandhi was PM.

Alexander had to be sent out of the PMO which was when Rajiv Gandhi began his experiments with reforms of governance.

As part of these reforms, Rajiv instead of appointing a principal secretary after Alexander created a new post of parliamentary secretary to the PM and appointed three parliamentary secretaries — Oscar Fernandes, Ahmed Patel and his Doon school days friend Arun Singh.

Oscar Fernandes served as parliamentary secretary to Rajiv Gandhi from December 1984 to June 1985.

Former bureaucrat Wajahat Habibullah who served in both Indira Gandhi’s and Rajiv’s PMOs recounts in his memoirs of the late PM that the threesome came to be known as Amar, Akbar, Anthony, after the title of the 1977 blockbuster starring Amitabh Bachchan.

The Parliamentary secretary experiment didn’t last long, and by September 1985, Rajiv appointed 1952 batch IAS officer and only the second woman to have joined the IAS Sarla Grewal as secretary to the PM.

Fernandes remained loyal to Sonia Gandhi after Rajiv Gandhi’s death and was rewarded throughout life.

President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla expressed sadness.

“Sad to learn that veteran parliamentarian Oscar Fernandes is no more. He was a leader rooted to the ground and committed to the welfare of people. He will be deeply missed by all. Condolences to his family, friends and followers,” President Kovind tweeted.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi, Leader of opposition in Rajya Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge, AICC general Secretary (Karnataka) Randeep Surjewala and AICC general Secretary UP Priyanka Vadra also expressed grief.

Lok Sabha speaker Om Birla tweeted his condolences too.

My heartfelt condolences to the family and friends of Shri Oscar Fernandes Ji.
It is a personal loss for me. He was a guide and mentor to many of us in the Congress Party.

He will be missed and fondly remembered for his contributions. pic.twitter.com/NZVD592GSJ

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) September 13, 2021

Oscar Fernandes ji was a guide, mentor, organizational builder; who connected to the Congress workers & they loved him in return.

A “banyan tree” of the Congress Party has fallen. There will perhaps never be anyone like him.

Our heartfelt homage to an eternal Congressman! pic.twitter.com/PHbl4WKy5d

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) September 13, 2021