Former Union Minister and Trinamool Congress Leader Ajit Panja dies

Breaking News! Former Union Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Ajit Panja died at Peerless Hospital in Kolkata. Ajit Panja was suffering from oral cancer. He was admitted to hospital on October 25, after his health conditions worsened. Panja has been on a life-support system for the past 48 hours.

The 72-year-old Ajit Panja was a member of West Bengal Assembly and was elected as an MP in 1984. He served as a Union I&B Minister during the tenures of late Prime Ministers Rajiv Gandhi and PV Narasimha Rao. He also held different portfolios such as Planning, Food & Supplies and Finance in Rajiv Gandhi's cabinet.

Ajit Panja joined Trinamool Congress in 2001. When Trinamool Congress joined the NDA government, Panja served as a Minister of State for External Affairs in then PM Atal Behari Vajpayee's cabinet. (Copyright: Breaking News Online)