Patna: Mundrika Singh Yadav, RJD's secretary general, died on Tuesday of a brain haemorrhage.

Yadav, the Jehanabad MLA, was admitted in a private hospital on Monday where he was in a coma. RJD chief Lalu Prasad and chief minister Nitish Kumar went to the hospital to enquire about his health and steps were being taken to shift him to Delhi by air ambulance when he died late on Tuesday afternoon. He was in his 70s.

Lalu said he had lost a close friend and associate, while Nitish too expressed grief. He called him a veteran socialist leader of the Magadh region.

Yadav had served as minister in the Rabri Devi government. For the RJD, this the second shock to the party that lost national vice-president Mohammad Taslimuddin a month ago.

News of Yadav's death stunned the political circle and the government announced a state funeral for him. The body will be taken to Jehanabad for cremation.