Fight on in his memory (From The Northern Echo)

Fight on in his memory

10:44am Tuesday 16th March 2010 in

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ASHOK KUMAR was a sensitive politician – a man who worried deeply about his responsibilities to those who elected him.

As fellow Teesside Labour MP Dari Taylor said yesterday, he constantly worried that he had not done enough for his constituents.

But the truth is that Dr Kumar was among the most conscientious politicians in this region, working hard to fight Teesside’s corner at every opportunity.

The tributes which swiftly flooded in following the shocking news of his sudden death yesterday bear testament to the esteem in which he was held by constituents, fellow politicians, businessmen and community leaders.

As a former research scientist at British Steel, Dr Kumar had a particular affinity with the steel industry on Teesside, and we know that the crushing disappointment of recent mass job losses at Corus weighed heavily on him.

Today we publish an article, written by Dr Kumar, for our business section in which he promotes the importance of the steel industry on Teesside and insists it has a bright future despite its current problems.

It is published, with the approval of those close to him, because it underlines his passion for the people of his constituency.

Ashok Kumar was a man who cared deeply about the area he served. We report his untimely death with great sadness and our thoughts are with his family.

The fight to salvage something meaningful from the wreckage of Teesside Cast Products must go on with the kind of commitment he always demonstrated.