Hyderabad: Leader of the Veteran Congress and former Union Minister S. Jaipal Reddy died in the early hours of Sunday after a short disease in Hyderabad, his family said. He was seventy-seven.
Reddy's last breath was about 1.30 a.m. He was lately admitted to a private clinic in Hyderabad and was diagnosed with pneumonia. Two children and one daughter survive him.
Born in Telangana's Mahabubnagar district, Reddy was elected to the Lok Sabha for five terms and also served two terms as a member of the Rajya Sabha.
He started his political career at Osmania University during his college days. In protest against the imposition of an emergency, he left Congress to enter the Janata Party and later became its secretary general. He contested against former Prime Minister Indidra Gandhi unsuccessfully in Medak Lok Sabha Constituency.
Reddy served as Information and Broadcasting Minister in I K Gujral government He also served as a minister in the government of UPA-I and UPA-II and held portfolios such as urban and cultural growth, oil and natural gas, science and technology, and earth sciences.
