BENGALURU: Even before it could recover from the shock of losing former minister Ambareesh on Saturday night, Karnataka Congress was dealt another blow on Sunday with senior party leader C K Jaffer Sharief’s demise. The former Union minister passed away in a private hospital in Bengaluru on Sunday afternoon. He was 85. The news of his death came on the day the leaders of Congress and people of Karnataka were paying tribute to Ambareesh. 

Sharief passed away following a cardiac arrest, according to doctors treating the octogenarian at the private hospital where he was under treatment since Friday. 

Colleagues and contemporaries, cutting across party lines, condoled the death of the politician lovingly referred to as “Karnataka’s railway man”, thanks to the initiatives undertaken during his ministership. 

While his work as Railway minister brought him great recognition, Sharief - who hailed from a poor family from Chitradurga - is also remembered for being a humble, non-communal leader, even by rival party leaders.  The eight-time MP was a staunch supporter of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi. His aspiration of becoming the chief minister of Karnataka, however, never fructified. 

Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda, who knew Sharief for decades, took to Twitter to express grief.

Sharief will be laid to rest at Miller’s Road graveyard on Monday afternoon. His mortal remains will be kept at Eidgah grounds for the public to pay final homage. Congress central leadership Ahmed Patel and Ghulam Nabi Azad are expected to visit Bengaluru to pay tribute.  

Sharief passed away after suffering a major cardiac event at home. He had undergone a bypass 
surgery in London two decades ago. He was suffering from a weak heart, partial kidney failure, spinal and gallbladder problem and frailty of age, according to a statement from the private hospital where Sharief was under treatment.  

Several political leaders paid tribute to the veteran politician. “It is a day of tragedy for the Congress party, with another senior, loved and 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,” tweeted Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda posted on Twitter, “I have lost a good friend. Sharief played a prominent role in converting railway tracks into broad gauge. The railway factory at Yelahanka is also his offering. His demise has caused me deep pain.”

Sharief’s long stint in the Lok Sabha began in 1971, and he served as Union Minister of State for Railways, Coal, and Irrigation at various points. 

He was defeated by BJP’s then-candidate H T Sangliana in 2004 - a blow from which his political career never recovered.