Former union minister and senior Congress leader CK Jaffer Sharief dies at 85

Sharief was admitted in Bangalore's Fortis Hospital.

ANI photo

Bengaluru: Former union minister and senior Congress leader CK Jaffer Sharief died on Sunday at a hospital in Karnataka's Bengaluru. He was 85 years old.

Sharief was reportedly admitted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of Fortis Hospital on Cunningham Road. He was hospitalised after he collapsed while getting into the car for Friday namaz.

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. — Dinesh Gundu Rao (@dineshgrao) November 25, 2018

Karnataka Congress president Dinesh Gundu Rao expressed his condolences following the demise of the senior Congress leader.

Taking to Twitter, Rao said, "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."

The death of Sharief is the second setback for Congress in a day as it comes hours after the death of another party leader MH Ambareesh. A three-day mourning had already been declared in Karnataka after the death of former union minister MH Ambareesh who passed away on Saturday night following a cardiac arrest.