Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and BJP veteran Kalyan Singh, who was ailing for some time, breathed his last on Saturday night, the Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) said in a statement here. He was 89.

Singh was admitted to SGPGI on July 4 in the Intensive Care Unit in critical condition.

He died due to sepsis and multi-organ failure, the hospital said in the statement.

Singh was the UP chief minister when the Babri mosque was demolished by a mob in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992.

He later also served as the governor of Rajasthan.

PM pays tribute

Expressing deep pain at the death of former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Saturday that coming generations will remain forever grateful to him for his contributions towards India's "cultural regeneration".

Modi said he was saddened beyond words at his demise.

Singh was firmly rooted in Indian values and took pride in its centuries-old traditions, he said and lauded him as a "statesman, veteran administrator, grassroots level leader and great human".

He leaves behind an indelible contribution towards the development of Uttar Pradesh, the prime minister said.

Modi spoke to Singh's son Rajveer Singh, a Lok Sabha MP of the BJP, to convey his condolences.

"Kalyan Singh Ji gave voice to crores of people belonging to the marginalised sections of society. He made numerous efforts towards the empowerment of farmers, youngsters and women," he said.

Singh was closely associated with the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.

The Babri mosque in Ayodhya was demolished when he was the state's chief minister.

The Supreme Court had in 2019 handed over the disputed site to Hindu bodies, paving the way for the beginning of the construction of Ram temple there.

A backward caste leader, Singh was instrumental in the rise of the BJP to power in Uttar Pradesh in 1990s.