He may not be a key member in the major policy-making think-tank of the party or the government, but the sheer amount of work that he handles explains why he is so much in demand.
The party has more than 20 general secretaries but Gandhi waited for Fernandes to return from Geneva to finalise the dates and start preparations for the party's extended Working Committee meet held recently.
On an average day, Fernandes works for 16 to 18 hours. This reporter once got an appointment at 10 pm which kept getting delayed as Fernandes was involved with some party work.
The interview finally took place at 11:30 pm, and there were a least 100 more people lined up to meet the minister. A group from Dharwad wanted a new road, while a gentleman armed with a Hawaiian guitar waited to demonstrate his music to Fernandes.
Okram Ibobi Singh, the chief minister of Manipur, was waiting in another room, while the state's resident commissioner in Delhi remained standing. "If I sit, I'll fall asleep," he said.
Fernandes entered the room looking fresh as a daisy and, when the visitors left him well past midnight, many were told "remember, you came here yesterday and are leaving today!"
Image: Congress president Sonia Gandhi delivering a speech. Dibyangshu Sarkar/AFP/Getty Images
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