He hailed Reddy, a qualified medical doctor, for serving the poor and later joining the Congress and rising to the level of chief minister.

Karunanidhi expressed his condolences to the bereaved family, the people of Andhra Pradesh, leader of the UPA Sonia Gandhi and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. He also spoke to Gandhi over the phone and expressed his condolences.

In her condolence message, AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalithaa conveyed her sympathy and heartfelt condolences to Reddy's wife and to all the members of his family and to the families of the four others who also lost their lives in the same chopper crash.