The former Union Minister, the late George Fernandes, was the voice of the voiceless and the strength of the weaker sections, Bishop of Mangaluru Diocese Peter Paul Saldanha said here on Sunday. Speaking after unveiling a memorial built in memory of Mr. Fernandes at the cemetery of St. Francis Xavier Church in Bejai, the Bishop said that the former Minister was responsible for building Konkan Railway.

He knew the power of democracy and had understood the pulse of the people, and acted accordingly.

Hailing the government for conferring Padma Vibhushan posthumously to Mr. Fernandes the Bishop said that the former Minister dreamt about development projects and strived for fulfilling them. He shifted from Mangaluru to Mumbai to work with the people.

Thanking those responsible for building the memorial, Michael Fernandes, the brother of the former Minister, said that Mr. Fernandes established the Bombay Labour Cooperative Society which later became a bank. It had more than 30 branches in Maharasthra. The bank should set up its branch in Bejai in his memory.