V. Dhananjay Kumar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Minister of Civil Aviation andTourism | |
| Prime Minister | Atal Bihari Vajpayee |
| Preceded by | Ghulam Nabi Azad |
| Succeeded by | C. M. Ibrahim |
| Member of Parliament | |
| In office 1991–2004 | |
| Preceded by | Janardhana Poojary |
| Succeeded by | D. V. Sadananda Gowda |
| Constituency | Mangalore and Madikeri |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Venur Dhananjay Kumar Alva (1951-07-04)4 July 1951 |
| Died | 4 March 2019(2019-03-04) (aged 67) |
| Party | Indian National Congress[1] |
| Other political affiliations | Bharatiya Janata Party Janata Dal (Secular)[2] |
| Spouse | Vanitha D Kumar |
| Children | 2, Pavithra V, Parinith Kumar Alva |
| Residence | Bangalore |
Venur Dhananjay Kumar Alva (4 July 1951 – 4 March 2019) was a former Union and Cabinet minister ofIndia and a formerMember of Parliament fromMangalore. He was cabinet minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism in 1996, Union Minister of State for Finance from 1999 to 2000 and Union Minister of State for Textiles from 2000 to 2003. He was also one of the first few BJP MPs to be elected from south India, at a time when the Congress party's reach was at its peak.
Kumar went on to represent the Mangalore constituency in theLok Sabha for four successive terms. Earlier in 1983, he was elected as a BJP MLA fromMangalore City assembly constituency comfortably defeating sitting MLA from Congress, P. F. Rodrigues, even before he became an MP. Being a staunch loyalist of formerChief Minister of KarnatakaB. S. Yeddyurappa, he was elected as the president of the newKarnataka Janata Party. He was theSpecial representative of the Government of Karnataka to the Union Government inNew Delhi.[3]
Born inVenur, a small town of erstwhileSouth Canara in 1951, Kumar earned degrees in science from Sri Mahaveera College,Moodabidri and law fromUdupi Law College and held a number of influential positions in a political career that spanned decades. A firm believer of the RSS' Hindutva ideology, Kumar began his political career in the youth wing ofBharatiya Janta Party and later went on to become a Member of theKarnataka Legislative Assembly in 1983. In 1991, he was elected to the10th Lok Sabha defeating the Congress stalwartJanardhana Poojary, Union Minister of State for Finance during the tenure ofIndira Gandhi andRajiv Gandhi.
With the rise of theBharatiya Janta Party inKarnataka, Kumar went on to represent theMangalore (Lok Sabha constituency) for four successive terms and served as Union Minister, thrice in theGovernment of India when the Bharatiya Janata Party was in power. He was cabinet minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism in 1996, Union Minister of State for Finance from 1999 to 2000 and Union Minister of State for Textiles from 2000 to 2003. Despite being a sitting MP, he was denied ticket for 2004 Loksabha election fromMangalore, insteadD. V. Sadananda Gowda was preferred. During Yeddyurappa's tenure as chief minister between 2008 and 2011, Kumar became the State party head.
He was known for being staunchly loyal to BJP state president BS Yeddyurappa. After leaving the saffron party withB. S. Yeddyurappa, a former chief minister of Karnataka, Kumar was instrumental in starting a new political outfit,Karnataka Janata Party. Dhananjay was even made the state president of the party. He was unable to actively participate due to ill health.
Kumar died at Unity Hospital in Mangalore on 4 March 2019 after a prolonged illness due to kidney problem.[4]
