Bengaluru, May 10 : Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Sunday condoled the death of state Planning and Statistics Minister D. Sudhakar, terming it an "extremely painful moment".

"I am saddened by the untimely demise of D. Sudhakar, who was our governmentâ??s Minister for Planning and Statistics and a senior leader. He had been undergoing treatment in the hospital for the past few days due to illness. Recently, I had personally visited the hospital and obtained information about his health from the doctors treating him. At that time, I was hopeful of his recovery," the Chief Minister said.

"Sudhakar was a person who had immense concern and commitment towards public service. A person like him should have remained among the people for many more years. Despite the continuous efforts of doctors and the prayers and wishes of all of us, Sudhakar has left us today. This is an extremely painful moment," he added.

"I pray to God that the departed soul attains eternal peace and that his family members and admirers get the strength to bear this loss," Siddaramaiah stated.

Deputy Chief Minister and state Congress President D.K. Shivakumar also expressed deep condolences over the demise of Sudhakar.

Talking to the media, he said: "The demise of Minister D. Sudhakar, who was an extremely active colleague always thinking about the development of his constituency and public service every moment, is deeply painful. Whenever he came to meet me, he would invariably bring requests related to one or another developmental work for his constituency. The passing away of Sudhakar, who was also close to me, has caused immense grief."

"Sudhakar began his political career through the cooperative sector by becoming the president of the DCC Bank. He was a leader admired by people from all communities. Despite not having strong numerical support from his community, he was elected as an MLA four times, which stood testimony to the love, trust, and confidence the people of his constituency had in him. That was Sudhakarâ??s true distinction."

Shivakumar recalled that the late minister would always discuss irrigation projects related to his constituency with him, including the Bhadra Upper Canal Project.

"As a generous philanthropist, he had earned popularity among the people as the 'friend of the poor'. Having answered the call of time, he has left us and his countless admirers. I pray that his soul attains eternal peace and that God gives strength to his family members and lakhs of party workers to bear the pain of his loss," Shivakumar said in his condolence message.

Large and Medium Industries Minister M.B. Patil has expressed grief over the demise of the minister, noting Sudhakar was known for his simplicity, decency, pro-people attitude, and friendly personality. He remembered that Sudhakar had begun his political career from the Challakere constituency and, through his active public life, had also succeeded in winning the support of the people of the Hiriyur constituency.

In his condolence message, Patil said that he still vividly remembered Sudhakar meeting him before being admitted to the hospital and discussing development projects related to his constituency. He added that Sudhakar had immense concern for the people of his constituency.

Agriculture Minister N. Cheluvarayaswamy said: "The news of the demise of Shri D. Sudhakar, who was the Minister for Planning and Statistics, Chitradurga district in-charge minister, and also a close associate of mine, has caused me deep sorrow. Through his simple personality and public service, he had created a distinct identity in public life.

Sudhakar passed away in the early hours of Sunday at KIMS Hospital in Bengaluru, where he had been undergoing treatment in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for the past month.

Hospital authorities, in a statement, said that the minister passed away at 3.15 a.m.

Four-time MLA Sudhakar initially got admitted to the Manipal Hospital in Bengaluru for knee surgery. After the surgery, he developed an infection in his lungs, which turned serious. He was later shifted to KIMS Hospital, and preparations were underway for lung transplantation. However, before this could be done, he passed away.

Sudhakar was originally from Challakere and belonged to the Jain community. Born on March 28, 1961, he was the third son of businessman Dasharathayya and Kanchanmala. After obtaining a B.Com degree, he entered politics. He is survived by his wife Harshini, son Suhas, and daughter Spoorthi.

/IANS