Bengaluru, Jul 31 (IANS): Karnataka Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa and scores of political leaders, including former prime minister H.D. Deve Gowda took to Twitter on Wednesday to mourn coffee baron V.G. Siddhartha and offer condolences to his bereaved family.
"I am shocked and sad to know Siddhartha is no more. My heart goes to the bereaved family and may God rest his soul in peace," tweeted Yediyurappa in Kannada and English.
The body of the 60-year-old coffee baron was found floating in the backwaters of the Netravathi river near Mangaluru on the southern state's west coast early Wednesday morning by two fishermen during the massive search operation launched on Monday night after his car driver filed a complaint that Siddhartha went missing from the bridge over the river.
"Siddharatha's death came as a shock to me. I have known him over the last 35 years. He was a simple person. My condolence to his family. The state government should a proper investigation into his tragic death," tweeted Deve Gowda in Kannada.
Siddhartha, elder son-in-law of senior BJP leader S.M.Krishna, leaves behind widow Malavika Hegde and two sons.
"I am shocked to know the death of businessman Siddhartha, a close friend of me for the last 25 years. He introduced Karnataka's coffee industry and created thousands of jobs through his coffee estates and a countrywide chain of retail outlets Cafe Coffee Day. Karnataka has lost a great businessman," tweeted Kumaraswamy in Kannada.
Former state minister Priyanka Kharge tweeted that he woke up to the grim news of #VGSiddhartha. "I still find it difficult to believe that he could take the extreme step. He has inspired many entrepreneurs, people of the region looked up to him. He was a very courteous & unassuming man. Sympathies to his family," his tweet added.
Hundreds of people, including political leaders of the BJP, Congress, Janata Dal-Secular (JD-S), businessmen and industrialists thronged Krishna's house in the city's upscale Sadashivnagar area to express condolences to him and his bereaved family.