BENGALURU: Former Karnataka minister, professor Mumtaz Ali Khan passed away on Monday at his city residence, due to age related ailments, sources close to him said.
He was 94 and is survived by his wife and a daughter.
Khan had served as minister for minority affairs, Haj and Wakf during the previous BJP government led by chief minister B S Yediyurappa in 2008.
He was soft-spoken, and had served as sociology professor at the University of Agricultural Sciences here.
His family also runs an unaided primary and secondary school in the memory of his late son.
He had joined the Congress in 2013, after quitting as MLC, expressing displeasure over BJP’s decision to name Nadrendra Modi as its Prime Ministerial candidate.
Expressing condolences over Khan’s death, chief minister Yediyurappa said, he has lost a “close friend”, and a simple and well-mannered politician.
He also recalled his service as MLC, Minister, and to education and literary fields.
Several of Yediyurappa’s cabinet colleagues, state BJP President Nalin Kumar Kateel, have expressed grief over Khan’s death.