New Delhi, February 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday paid tributes to C Janga Reddy, one of the two BJP MPs elected to the Lok Sabha in 1984, saying he devoted his life to public service. Reddy died earlier in the day at 86 years of age.

"Reddy Garu was an effective voice for the BJP at a very critical phase of the Party's trajectory. Spoke to his son and expressed condolences. Om Shanti," Modi tweeted. "Shri C Janga Reddy Garu devoted his life to public service. He was an integral part of the efforts to take the Jana Sangh and BJP to new heights of success. He made a place in the hearts and minds of several people. He also motivated many Karyakartas. Saddened by his demise," he said. Basant Panchami 2022: PM Narendra Modi Greets People on Saraswati Puja, Basant Panchami.

Reddy had also served as an MLA in the undivided Andhra Pradesh assembly but it was his Lok Sabha win in 1984 from Hanamkonda that brought him political fame, especially within the BJP as he was one of the only two winners the party had in the polls when its leading lights, including Atal Bihari Vajpayee, lost in the pro-Congress wave caused by the assassination of then prime minister Indira Gandhi. Reddy had defeated Congress stalwart P V Narasimha Rao, who went on to become India's prime minister in 1991.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)