MADURAI: Former Tamil Nadu Assembly Speaker and ex-union minister Sedapatti R Muthiah died at a private hospital here on Wednesday after prolonged illness. He was 77 years old.
Tamil Nadu Governor RN Ravi and Chief Minister M K Stalin condoled the demise of Muthiah.
Muthiah, fondly addressed as Sedapattiar, was the Speaker during the 1991-96 AIADMK regime and was later part of the AB Vajpayee-led union cabinet for a while in 1998.
He was in the news over some confusion in casting his ballot during the confidence vote faced by the late Vajpayee in 1999, when the BJP-led NDA government lost by one vote.
Muthiah was later expelled from the AIADMK by its late supremo J Jayalalithaa and he joined the DMK in 2006.
He represented Sedapatti constituency as MLA for four times. He was also MP for two terms and a former union minister as well.
In his condolence message, Ravi expressed his deep and heartfelt condolences to the bereaved family members of Muthiah.
He was an 'outstanding' politician, an MLA from Sedapatti, Member of Parliament from Periyakulam segment twice and held the post of union Minister for Surface Transport, he said.
"His demise is an irreparable loss to the country specially to Tamil Nadu and particularly to the people of southern region of the state," Ravi added.
Chief minister Stalin, also the president of the ruling DMK, expressed grief over Muthiah's death.
Recalling Muthiah joining the DMK in his father, the late M Karunanidhi's presence, Stalin hailed the former's contribution to the growth of the Dravidian party.
"I had recently met him at the hospital when I visited Madurai. I am anguished by his death," Stalin said in his condolence message.