Congress leader and former Union Minister Akhilesh Das Gupta passed away on Wednesday after suffering a heart attack.
Prime Minister Narendra took to Twitter and expressed grief over his untimely demise.
"Saddened by the demise of former MP and Union Minister Akhilesh Das. His active contribution to public life will be remembered," PM Modi said in a tweet.
Known as a prominent educationist, professor and philanthropist, 56-year-old Das was a member of Rajya Sabha for 18 years serving three consecutive terms of 6 years each from November 1996 to November 2014.
A national level badminton player, Gupta also served as mayor of Lucknow between 1993 and 1995.
He was the President of Badminton Association of India, Vice President of Badminton Asia Confederation, Member – Executive Council of Badminton World Federation and Vice President of Indian Olympic Association.
With several degrees including LLB, MBA and PhD in Management, Akhilesh Das Gupta had also represented the country in various International Badminton Tournaments.
Apart from that, Gupta had founded the Babu Banarsi Das Educational Society (BBDES), Babu Banarsi Das National Institute of Technology & Management (BBDNITM). He had been an honorary technical consultant for Infinite Computer Solution Inc and was also a visiting professor (Business Management & Public Relations) to various management institutes.