At the height of the recent conflict in Kashmir he provoked a hostile reaction from opposition parties and the media when he suggested that India might offer safe passage home to the Pakistani-backed fighters.

On another occasion, before India's nuclear tests, he described China as India's number one enemy, a comment which adversely affected relations with China.

Mr Fernandes came to prominence three decades ago for his campaigns to help the poor and the lower castes. He led India's largest railway strike in the early seventies.

One of his most well-known acts was to throw Coca Cola and IBM out of India in 1977, when he was industry minister, in an attempt to protect Indian businesses.

Despite being a life-long campaigner against nuclear weapons, he supported India's tests last year saying they were necessary to ensure its security.