New Delhi: H Vasanthakumar, Congress MP from Kanyakumari passed away due to COVID-19 on Friday. The Congress lawmaker was admitted to Apollo Hospitals in Chennai after contracting coronavirus. 70-year-old Vasanthakumar is the first Parliamentarian to succumb to Coronavirus after 18 days of treatment. He is survived by his wife Tamil Selvi, two sons and a daughter. His elder son Vijay Vasanth is a film actor in Tamil film industry and has appeared in several films since 2007. "Despite all active medical measures, his condition deteriorated gradually due to COVID complications and he passed away today," Apollo Hospitals in a statement. Vasanthakumar was not just the working president of Tamil Nadu Congress Committee (TNCC) but also a renowned businessman in the state. He founded a retail chain Vasanth & Co, which went on to create its own name. The Congress leader had a humble beginning starting off as as a salesman in the 1970s but the way he launched Vasanth and Co and nurtured it to become most popular store is an inspiration for GenNext. Today, it has 71 stores spread across the southern states and is a popular go-to brand for domestic needs. As news of his demise spread, condolences poured in from across the political spectrum. President Ram Nath Kovind also condoled hid death and said that his devotion to people's cause in Tamil Nadu was inspiring. "Sad to know the passing of Shri H Vasanthakumar, MP from Kanyakumari. An entrepreneur and social activist, he earned his name in the world of politics and business. His devotion to people's cause in Tamil Nadu was inspiring. Condolences to his family, friends and followers," Kovind tweeted. 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 Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on his twitter handle 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 Nadus progress.Condolences to his family and supporters.Om Shanti. Kumar spoke about Coronavirus in Parliament but was silenced H Vasanthakumar had raised the issue of the COVID-9 pandemic in Parliament, way back in March but was interrupted and his microphone was cut off. The video is doing rounds on social media. In a video shared on social media, he can be heard saying, “Speaker sir, I urge upon the government to declare coronavirus as national disaster. We have to announce a national disaster due to coronavirus affecting the whole nation. A zero-revenue situation will definitely impact the repayment of loans. I urge the government to reschedule the loan payment of small businessmen and individuals at least for three months.” On 20th March Kanyakumari MP #Vasanthakumar ji in his Lok Sabha speech kept demand of declaring #COVIDー19 as "National Disaster".. He spoke also for direct benifit transfers to daily wagers & to help small businesses .. He was interrupted with laugh within few secs.. RIP sir? pic.twitter.com/L5ezM2b6l4 — Niraj Bhatia (@bhatia_niraj23) August 28, 2020
