india

Updated: Nov 25, 2018 17:05 IST

Former Union railway minister and veteran Congress leader from Karnataka C K Jaffer Sharief passed away on Sunday morning at a hospital in Bengaluru, Karnataka pradesh Congress committee president Dinesh Gundu Rao said. Sharief was 85.

“One of @INCIndia’s senior most leaders, many times MP and one of India’s most successful Railway minister, Karnataka’s very own son Sri CK Jaffer Shareef has passed away. A national leader who had a great connect across all communities. a truly secular leader. My condolences,” Rao said in a tweet.

“He was admitted on Friday after he collapsed at home. He was ailing for sometime with age-related problems,” party’s state unit spokesman Ravi Gowda told IANS.

Congress president Rahul Gandhi also condoled the death of former Union minister. “It is a day of tragedy for the Congress party, with another senior, loved & respected member of our family in Karnataka, Shri Jaffer Sharief Ji, passing away today. My condolences to his family, friends & supporters in their time of grief,” he tweeted.

It is a day of tragedy for the Congress party, with another senior, loved & respected member of our family in Karnataka, Shri Jaffer Sharief Ji, passing away today. My condolences to his family, friends & supporters in their time of grief. #JafferSharief — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) November 25, 2018

A veteran parliamentarian from Bengaluru North and Bengaluru Rural Lok Sabha constituencies, Sharief was Union Railway Minister from 1991-1995 under the PV Narasimha Rao government at the Centre.