New Delhi, Aug 21 (PTI) Senior BJP leaders paid rich tributes to former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh on Saturday with Union ministers Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh lauding his contributions as an administrator and exponent of the saffron party's ideology.

BJP president J P Nadda said Singh's death marks the end of an era as he showed a new direction to the country's politics.

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He never compromised with his ideals and strove for the rights of the poor and deprived sections of society, Nadda said.

Shah hailed him as a fierce nationalist and a great personality who lived in people's heart.

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The home minister said Singh, as the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, delivered good governance with his dedication and political acumen and offered people an administration in which there was no fear of crime.

He ushered in reforms in education and made valuable contributions to the nation's development while serving in various capacities, he said.

Singh had also served as governor.

Rajnath Singh said the former UP chief minister was a tall leader of not only the state but country who left his indelible imprint on the society with his personality and work.

The country will remember him for his role in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, and he also worked hard to connect different sections of society with the BJP, the defence minister said.

Singh (89), who had been ailing for some time, breathed his last on Saturday night.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)