Hyderabad: Senior BJP leader and former union minister Ale Narendra died here Wednesday, after prolonged illness. He was 67.
Narendra breathed his last at a private hospital. He is survived by two sons and a daughter.
Hailing from the old city of Hyderabad, Narendra had returned to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in 2011 after remaining in political oblivion for few years.
Popular among his supporters as “tiger”, Narendra began his political career as Rashtriya Sweyamsevak Sangh (RSS) worker. He was elected to Andhra Pradesh assembly and parliament.
He was elected to the assembly from Himayatnagar constituency in the city in 1985 and to Lok Sabha from Medak in 1999.
A strong supporter of the demand for separate Telangana state, he quit the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and floated Telangana Sadhana Samihi (TSS) in 2000. He later merged the outfit with the Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS).
Narendra was elected again from Medak in 2004 and was inducted in the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance (UPA) ministry. He was the union minister of state for rural development.
In 2007, the TRS expelled Narendra from the party for his alleged involvement in human trafficking scam.
BJP leaders have condoled the death of Narendra. Party’s senior leader M. Venkaiah Naidu, its Telangana president G. Kishan Reddy and others paid tributes.