Hyderabad, Dec 28 - Senior Congress party leader and Andhra legislator P. Janardhan Reddy, a bitter critic of Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy, died here Friday. He was 59.The former minister collapsed while coming out after a meeting of the party in Secunderabad this morning. He breathed his last while being shifted to a nearby hospital. Doctors said he died of cardiac arrest.He was survived by his wife, four daughters and a son.The sudden death of the popular leader sent shock waves among his friends and followers in the state capital. A pall of gloom descended on his house, where hundreds of people gathered on hearing the news. Many of them including women were crying inconsolably.Police had to use mild force to disperse a large number of people who were demanding that they be allowed to enter the house to pay their last respects.Shopkeepers in Khairatabad, Madhepur, Hitech City and other areas voluntarily downed the shutters to show respect to the leader, popularly known as PJR.Terming the sudden demise of Janardhan Reddy as a huge loss to the ruling party, Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy announced that the funeral would be held Saturday with full state honours.Leaders across the political spectrum paid rich tributes to PJR. Former chief minister and the opposition leader N. Chandrababu Naidu said the state had lost a leader who strived hard for the poor.PJR was representing Khairatabad constituency in the state capital and was the most powerful dissident leader in the party. He was served a show cause notice by the party's central leadership a few months ago for his opposition to the chief minister.The five-time legislator, who also served as state minister for labour between 1989 and 1994, had huge support among the backward classes and the poor in his constituency.A follower of former chief minister T. Anjaiah, PJR was first elected to the assembly from Khairatabad in 1978. He also led the Congress party in the state assembly between 1994 and 1999 when the party had just 25 members in the 294-member assembly.He represented the constituency till 1999, when he lost the elections to Telugu Desam Party candidate and former CBI director K. Vijayarama Rao.
(c) Indo-Asian News Service
