New Delhi, Jun 26 (PTI) Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Sunday condoled the passing away of V Krishnamurthy, a former chairman of the country's largest steel-making company SAIL, and said he was a nation builder in the truest sense.

Krishnamurthy, also a former chairman of Bharat Heavy Electricals Ltd (BHEL), passed away at the age of 97 in Chennai on Sunday.

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"Deeply saddened by the demise of Padma Vibhushan Dr. V Krishnamurthy, a doyen of India's public sector undertakings," Gandhi said on Twitter.

Krishnamurthy was a nation builder in the truest sense and through BHEL, Maruti and Steel Authority of India (SAIL), his legendary legacy will live on, the former Congress chief said.

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"My condolences to his family and friends," Gandhi said.

In a tweet, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh, too, condoled Krishnamurthy's demise.

"A true legend among public sector managers, a man who built BHEL, turned around SAIL and launched Maruti, is no more. V. Krishnamurthy had a glorious innings but missed his century by just three years," Ramesh said.

"He'll remain an important part of Indian economic history," the Congress leader added.

According to a SAIL statement, V Krishnamurthy was the chairman of the company from 1985 to 1990.

He served as the chairman of many other Public Sector Undertakings, too, SAIL said.

(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)