Question: Oscar Fernandes is a confidant of the President of India's Congress, who has served in that role since what year?
Context: B. Janardhana Poojary (born 27 April 1937) is a senior politician from Indian National Congress party.  He was a former Union Minister and Karnataka's Congress President.  During the Prime Ministership of Smt.  Indira Gandhi he had been appointed as Union Minister of State for Finance in 1982 and he continued to be Union Minister of State for Finance during the tenure of Rajiv Gandhi until 1987.  Later Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi appointed Shree B. Janardhan Poojary as Union Minister of State for Rural Development from 1987 to 1989.  Shree Rajiv Gandhi also appointed Shree B. Janardhan Poojary as General Secretary of All India Congress Committee in 1990 as well as President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee in 1990.  He continued to be General Secretary of All India Congress Committee during the tenure of Prime Minister Shree P. V. Narasimha Rao up to 1996.  After Shree Rajiv Gandhi Shree Rajiv Gandhi his wife All India Congress Committee President (AICC President) & United Progressive Alliance (UPA) Chairperson Smt.  Sonia Gandhi also appointed Shree B. Janardhan Poojary as President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee in 2003 for the second time.  He continued as President of Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee up to 2005. The Praja Socialist Party (PSP) is an Indian political party.  It was founded when the Socialist Party, led by Jayprakash Narayan, Acharya Narendra Deva and Basawon Singh (Sinha), merged with the Kisan Mazdoor Praja Party led by J.B. Kripalani (former President of the Indian National Congress and a close associate of Jawaharlal Nehru).  It led the cabinet under Pattom A. Thanu Pillai as chief minister of Travancore-Cochin from March 1954 to February 1955.  A section led by Rammanohar Lohia broke from the party in 1955, resuming the name "Socialist Party".  .  It again came to power in the new state of Kerala under Pattom A. Thanu Pillai from February 1960 to September 1962.  Another section of the party, led by the trade union leader George Fernandes, broke off to become the Samyukta Socialist Party in 1969.  In 1960, Kripalani left the party and in 1964, Asoka Mehta joined Congress after his expulsion from the party.  In 1972, a section merged with Fernandes' party to become the Socialist Party once more, before becoming part of the Janata coalition following the Emergency in 1977. Sonia Gandhi (   ; born Edvige Antonia Albina Màino 9 December 1946) is an Italian-born Indian politician, who has served as President of the Indian National Congress party since 1998.  She is the widow of former Prime Minister of India, Rajiv Gandhi who belonged to the Nehru–Gandhi family. Toshifumi Suzuki is a former CEO and president of 7-Eleven.  Taking over after the resignation of James W. Keyes, Suzuki had been the temporary successor to Keyes while the search for a replacement CEO and president continued.  Suzuki has been a businessman since the early 1970s, during which he brought the 7-Eleven franchise to Japan, and was the acting chairperson before his promotion to CEO and president.  Suzuki resigned in April 2016 following a failed management reshuffle.  He had served in this role since November 5, 2005. Subhankar Sarkar is an Indian Politician and currently the National Secretary of Indian National Congress,he is also the State In-Charge of Odisha.He was one of the 13 politicians to be handpicked by Indian National Congress President and Vice President,Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as a National Secretary of Indian National Congress in 2013. He even served as the President of Chhatra Parishad(State NSUI),West Bengal unit from 1996 to 2004. He is an experienced politician and is one of the few to have held positions in all the three units of the Congress,namely,All India Congress Committee;Indian Youth Congress and the National Students' Union of India(NSUI). He served as the National General Secretary of the National Students' Union of India(NSUI) from 1992 to 1996 and as the National General Secretary of Indian Youth Congress from 2004 to 2007. He is considered to be a close aide of Rahul Gandhi and a key member of Rahul Gandhi's team.He is expected to play an important role in the Bengal Congress in the near future. Mário Fernandes da Graça Machungo (born 1 December 1940) is a Mozambican politician.  He was Planning Minister from at least 1984 to 1986, when he became Prime Minister of the country from 17 July 1986 to 16 December 1994.  Mário Fernandes da Graca Machungo served as the Chairman of the Board and President of BIM Banco Internacional de Moçambique SA. Max Rose is a 2016 American drama film starring Jerry Lewis and written and directed by Daniel Noah.  The film also stars Kevin Pollak, Kerry Bishe, Dean Stockwell and Claire Bloom.  It is Lewis' first starring film role since 1995's "Funny Bones", as well as his final starring role.  Oscar winners Michel Legrand with Alan and Marilyn Bergman created an original song for the feature.  The film was produced by Lightstream Entertainment's Garrett Kelleher and Blackbird’s Lawrence Inglee, along with Rush River’s Bill Walton. Jed Bernstein ( ; born March 27, 1955) is the former president of the Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, having served in this role since January 2014, when he replaced Reynold Levy.  He resigned from his role on April 14, 2016 after the discovery that he had been in an inappropriate relationship with a staff member that he had twice promoted.  Bernstein has extensive experience in theater producing, arts administration, and marketing and promotion. Gervais Martel (born 20 November 1954 in Oignies) is a French businessman and president of French football club RC Lens having served in this role since 24 August 1988.  Under the leadership of Martel, Lens won their first ever Ligue 1 title in the 1997–98 season and won their first ever Coupe de la Ligue title the following year.  Martel is also a vice-president of the French Football Federation and serves on the federation's Federal Council. Oscar Fernandes (born 27 March 1941) is an Indian politician, a senior Indian National Congress leader and was the Union Cabinet Minister for Transport, Road and Highways and Labour and Employment, Government Of India in UPA government.  He is one of the closest confidant of the present Congress President Sonia Gandhi.  One of the major leaders in the taking of important decisions of Congress Party.  He is also the Chairman of Central Election Authority of the All India Congress Committee.  He was previously the AICC General Secretary, the Minister of State (Independent charge) of the Ministry of Labour and Employment in Dr. Manmohan Singh's first UPA government in India.  He served as Parliamentary Secretary to Rajiv Gandhi.  He was elected to the 7th Lok Sabha in 1980 from Udupi constituency in Karnataka.  He was re-elected to the Lok Sabha in 1984, 1989, 1991 and 1996 from the same constituency.  Later, he was elected to the Rajya Sabha in 1998.  He was re-elected to the Rajya Sabha in 2004.  He was a Union Minister from 2004–2009, holding a number of portfolios such as Statistics and Programme Implementation, NRI Affairs, Youth and Sports Affairs and Labour and Employment.
Answer: 1998