In his tribute to the chief minister, Assocham president Sajjan Jindal described him as 'a workaholic who devoted all his time and energies for the uplift of poor'.

Maintaining that Reddy had brought Andhra Pradesh among India's industrially developed states, Jindal said said, 'His sad and untimely demise is a great loss to the nation as a whole.'

Harshpati Singhania, president of the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (Ficci), described Reddy, as a 'visionary and charismatic' leader who steered the state into one of the premier industrial hubs of the country.

'Mr. Reddy's untimely and tragic death was big blow to the state and the Congress Party as under his dynamic leadership the state was making steady progress on all fronts,' Singhania said.