Former Defence Minister and Anti-Emergency Crusader George Fernandes passed away in New Delhi this morning. He was 88. Mr Fernandes, who hailed from Mangaluru in Karnataka was ailing for a long time. One of the most prominent leaders of the socialist movement in the 1970s, George Fernandes was a senior Janata Dal leader before he founded the Samata Party.
He was elected to the Lok Sabha 9 times and once to the Rajya Sabha. He also served as Union Minister for Railways, Communications and Industry. George Fernandes was also a trade unionist, agriculturist, and journalist. As President of the All India Railwaymen’s Federation he led the Railway strike involving 1.5 million workers in 1974, resulting in thousands being sent to jail. It was one of the events that led to the imposition of the Emergency in June 1975.
Fernandes went underground during the Emergency, while challenging then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi for imposing a state of emergency. In 1976 he was arrested and tried in the infamous Baroda dynamite case. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed sadness on the passing away of former Defence Minister GeorgeFernandes.
In a tweet, Mr Modi said, George Sahab represented the best of India’s political leadership. He said, frank and fearless, forthright and farsighted, George Fernandes made a valuable contribution to the country and he was among the most effective voices for the rights of the poor and marginalised.