Tamil Nadu Congress leader and Kanyakumari MP Harikrishnan Vasanthakumar passed away Friday due to Covid-19. He was 70. Kumar was undergoing treatment at a private hospital in Chennai since August 10. He was on ECMO and Ventilator support and monitored by a multidisciplinary team of doctors. Taking to Twitter, Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences. "Saddened by the demise of Lok Sabha MP Shri H. Vasanthakumar Ji. His strides in business and social service efforts were noteworthy. During my interactions with him, I always saw his passion towards Tamil Nadu’s progress. Condolences to his family and supporters," he said. Saddened by the demise of Lok Sabha MP Shri H. Vasanthakumar Ji. His strides in business and social service efforts were noteworthy. During my interactions with him, I always saw his passion towards Tamil Nadu’s progress. Condolences to his family and supporters. Om Shanti. pic.twitter.com/SmuAK8ufAx — Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) August 28, 2020 Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said the "news of Kanyakumari MP Shri H Vasanthakumar’s untimely demise due to Covid-19 has come as a shock." The news of Kanyakumari MP, Shri H Vasanthakumar’s untimely demise due to Covid-19 has come as a shock. His commitment to the congress ideology of serving the people will remain in our hearts forever. Heartfelt condolences to his friends and family members. pic.twitter.com/oqhrfQXEUD — Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) August 28, 2020 Born in a small town in Kanyakumari, Vasanthakumar began his career as a salesman in early 1970. In 1978, he founded one of the state’s biggest retail chains - Vasanth & Co. Till date, it continues to be one of the most successful electronic and home appliances companies in Tamil Nadu. According to reports, the company has 82 showrooms across southern India. Both Kumar and his wife are shareholders of Vasanth & Co Media Private Limited, which owns the Tamil satellite channel Vasanth. Kumar was a multifaceted personality. He was a philanthropist, cultural promoter, and writer. His book Vetripadikattu (Ladder of success) was released in three parts. The third part of the book was released in 2016 by DMK leader MK Stalin. Kumar had said the book will serve as a catalyst for those who aim to succeed in their field. He was the younger brother of former MP and TNCC president Kumari Ananthan. Kumar’s niece and daughter of Ananthan, Dr Tamilisai Soundararajan, the Governor of Telangana, served as the Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party president. Kumar was first elected to Tamil Nadu Assembly in 2006 when he won from the Nanguneri constituency defeating AIADMK’s SP Sooriyakumar. In 2016, he contested again from the same constituency and emerged victoriously. He resigned MLA post after he successfully contested In 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Kumar contested from Kanyakumari, he was pitted against sitting Minister for the state of Finance, Pon Radhakrishnan. Kumar defeated BJP's star candidate by a margin of more than 2,50,000 votes. Earlier in June, DMK MLA J Anbazhagan succumbed to Covid-19 after undergoing treatment for weeks in a private hospital in Chennai.
