Kakatiya University staff unions recall Fernandes’ services

Hanamkonda: Several employee associations of Kakatiya University (KU) have condoled the death of former Defence Minister George Fernandes, who breathed his last on Tuesday morning. 

Expressing grief on the passing of Fernandes at a specially convened meeting here, the All India University Employees Association vice-president Dr Pulla Srinivas said that nation had lost a deep-rooted mass great leader. “His departure has left a big void in national politics,” he said, terming Fernandes as an anti-emergency crusader.

Fernandes, who was the Defence Minister in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government and the Railways Minister in the VP Singh regime, is a visionary leader and had fought for the working class, he said.

He said that Fernandes, a native of Mangalore, who became a catholic priest at the age of 18, was largely influenced by socialist Rammanohar Lohia. He joined socialist trade union movement and led many strikes and bandhs in Bombay during the 1950s and 1960s while working with the Indian Railways.

“Fernandes led the 1974 Railway strike, when he was President of the All India Railwaymen's Federation. He is one among those who 
challenged Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and went underground during the Emergency,” Dr Srinivas said. 

BC Non-Teaching Association President Ch Ramesh, KU Technical Association General Secretary V Nadaiah, B Prabhakar, Manda Shyam and SDLCE Joint Secretary Dr Ephraim Raj Sangala were among others present at the meeting.