Bengaluru: Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa and former Prime Minister H D Deve Gowda joined many others in condoling the death of Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi, who succumbed to COVID-19 at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences in New Delhi on Wednesday.
The 65-year old minister, a BJP MP from Belagavi in north Karnataka, was admitted to the AIIMS after testing positive for COVID-19 on September 11.
Yediyurappa said he was shocked to learn about Angadi's demise and could not believe it.
"It is a shock to hear the news of the untimely demise of senior leaders and Union Railway Minister Shri Suresh Angadi. Can't believe it," Yediyurappa said. Angadi was a polite, gentle and popular leader.
"His death is a great loss not only to the party, the state but also to the entire country," he said in a statement here.
JDS supremo Deve Gowda tweeted: "I am shocked and deeply saddened by the demise of Union Minister of State for Railways and four-term MP from Belagavi Shri Suresh Angadi."
Calling Angadi his younger brother, Gowda said he felt terrible for losing him. "This is an unbearable loss to our nation," Gowda said.
"Deeply saddened to learn of the demise of Shri Suresh Angadi, the Union Railway Minister for State and a popular MP from Belagavi Lok Sabha constituency," Medical Education Minister Dr K Sudhakar tweeted.
Others who condoled the death of Angadi were Union MInisters Pralhad Joshi, D V Sadananda Gowda, deputy chief ministers Laxman Savadi, Govind Karjol, Dr C N Ashwath Narayan and Home Minister Basavaraj Bommai, MPs Shobha Karandlaje and Nalin Kumar Kateel, who is also the state BJP chief.