The Congress president said before this year's Lok Sabha and assembly elections in Andhra Pradesh, he took part in meetings with her and Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to discuss election strategy.

'Naturally, some of us were concerned,' she said, adding that YSR told her and the prime minister: 'You trust me. I know the people of Andhra. I know that my colleagues and I have done tremendous work.

'He was right and we have no words to express our pain, our anguish.

'Our heart goes out to the members of his family, his children and grandchildren. We convey our condolences, our deep felt feelings of empathy and support to the Reddy family as well as to the families of those who travelled with him and did not come back.'

She recalled that YSR had begun his political career with the state Youth Congress. 'He then worked his way up.' Later, he became the state party president in 1983.

Gandhi underlined that it was YSR's 'padayatra' of 2004 that brought the party back to power in Andhra Pradesh after 10 long years.