UDUPI: ‘Oscaranna’, as he was called by party workers in his hometown, always wore a smile and was easily approachable. In his entire political career spanning five decades, right from when he was a member of the Udupi town municipal council in 1972, he was never known to have lost his cool.
Former PM Manmohan Singh, in his condolence message to Oscar’s wife Blossom, stated that he was deeply saddened by the loss. He said Oscar was a tall Congress leader from Karnataka whose popularity was evident from the fact that he was elected five times to the Lok Sabha and twice to the Rajya Sabha. He was a gifted leader and an efficient administrator who served as a minister in the central government during the UPA term. His service to the country will be always remembered, Singh stated.
Considered to be close to the Gandhi family, Oscar Fernandes rose up the ranks in the Congress and was always consulted on major political decisions. In 1980, he won the Udupi Lok Sabha seat and his victory run continued in 1985, 1990, 1994 and 1998. He was a sitting Rajya Sabha member and lent much seriousness to debates in Parliament.
He was political secretary to then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi and was minister twice during the Congress rule. He also headed various parliamentary committees and is praised for his contribution to conceptualizing the central government insurance scheme and the popular MGNREGS. He was appointed joint secretary of the All India Congress Committee in 1983 and Karnataka PCC president in 1987. He was re-elected KPCC chief in 1992.
Oscar was also widely travelled, having visited Russia, Yugoslavia, Spain, Australia and the Middle East. "As president of the Brahmavara Sugar Factory during the 1990s, Oscar struggled hard to crush a record quantity of 1.43 lakh tons of sugar cane,’’ recalled Molahalli Jayasheela Shetty, who was the MD of the factory then.
Oscar was born on March 27, 1941, to Roque Fernandes, a teacher, and Leonissa Fernandes, the first woman magistrate of Dakshina Kannada district. He studied at St Cecily’s School, Board High School and MGM College, Udupi. When he was pursuing his second-year BA, he was offered a job in LIC and did not complete the course.
He was a recipient of the Nelson Mandela award and was awarded an honorary doctorate by Mangalore University. He never skipped his yoga sessions and was also interested in agriculture and animal husbandry. A harmonica enthusiast, he once played the instrument at the Rajangana Hall of Sri Krishna Mutt and mesmerized the audience. Oscar also had cordial relations with the Ashta Mutts of Udupi.