Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Friday condoled the demise of party MP and cleric Maulana Asrarul Haq Qasmi, who died of a heart attack at the age of 76 at his village home in Bihar’s Kishanganj district.

A former state president of Jamiat Ulema-e-Hindi and member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board, Qasmi had won the Kishanganj seat for the first time in 2009 Lok Sabha polls and went on to retain the seat five years later.

“Saddened to hear about the demise of Congress party’s MP from Kishanganj Maulana Asrarul Haq,” Gandhi said on Twitter.

किशनगंज से कांग्रेस पार्टी के लोकप्रिय सांसद, मौलाना असरारुल हक साहब, के निधन की ख़बर सुनकर बेहद दुःख हुआ।

मैं असरारुल हक साहब के परिजनों के प्रति अपनी गहरी शोक और संवेदना व्यक्त करता हूँ I

— Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 7, 2018

He expressed his deepest condolences to Haq’s family.

Other Congress leaders joined Gandhi in mourning the death of the leader.

Congress leader in the Lok Sabha Mallikarjun Kharge said the country has lost a learned leader. Qasmi always espoused and fought to preserve secular values, he added.

“I am deeply saddened by the demise of Mohammad Asrarul Haque, a senior Congressman and a popular leader from Kishanganj, Bihar, from where he was elected as Lok Sabha member twice. He was instrumental in setting up Aligarh Muslim University in his constituency,” said Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Ghulam Nabi Azad.

Congress’ chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewal also expressed his condolences on the passing away of Qasmi.

“My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and followers and to the people of Kishanganj and beyond,” he said.

My deepest condolences on the passing away of veteran Congress leader and MP Mohammad Asrarul Haque Qasmi ji.

My thoughts and prayers are with his family, friends and followers and to the people of Kishanganj and beyond. pic.twitter.com/PjnXjeHZ8Q

— Randeep Singh Surjewala (@rssurjewala) December 7, 2018

Qasmi was a noted Islamic scholar and a popular face of the party in the state, particularly in Seemanchal comprising Kishanganj, Purnea, Araria and Katihar districts.

According to district officials, he died at the Kishanganj Circuit House. He will be buried at his Tarabadi village.

He won the Kishanganj seat on Congress ticket in the 2009 general elections after five consecutive failures. He retained the constituency in 2014 despite the Modi wave in Bihar and across the country.

He was a member of the All India Muslim Personal Law Board and a founder member of the All India Milli Council.

(With agency inputs)