BHUBANESWAR: Former Congress Parliamentarian Maurice Kujur passed away at KIMS, Bhubaneswar due to age-related infirmities and multiple diseases in the wee hours of Sunday. He was 84 and survived by his two sons, Rajat and Pravat, and two daughters.
He breathed his last at 3:10 am according to his son Pravat who added that the burial ritual would take place at 12 pm on Monday at the graveyard of Mission Church at Sundargarh town. Apart from high blood pressure and diabetes, Kujur was also suffering from Parkinson's disease, according to Pravat.
Born in November 1935 at Bhalumunda village in Sundargarh district, Kujur won the Sundargarh parliamentary constituency as a Congress candidate in 1984. He was a Lok Sabha member from 1984 to 1898 and was a Rajya Sabha member from 1996 to 2002.
He was also Vice-chairman of National Commission of Schedule Tribe between 2008 and 2011, but stayed away from active politics due to age and health-related issues, informed former Sundargarh District Congress Committee President Dushmanta Naik.
Sundargarh Lok Sabha Member of BJP and Chairman of Parliamentary Standing Committee on Defence Jual Oram condoled Kujur's death. Recalling Kujur's contribution to the development of Sundargarh, Jual said the district lost an able leader.
"I convey my sympathies to the bereaved family. My deepest condolences on the demise of eminent Congress leader & former MP of Sundergarh, Shri Maurice Kujur. He will be remembered for the decades of public service he gave to India. May his soul rest in peace," Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik said in a message.
Odisha Congress chief Niranjan Patnaik also expressed profound grief over Kujur's death. Closely associated with several organisations, Kujur had made constant efforts to improve the social status of tribals.
(With PTI inputs)