Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (C) and Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) President Amit Shah (R) pay tribute during the funeral of former Indian prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee in New Delhi on August 17, 2018. (Photo by - / AFP) New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday kept pace on foot with thousands of mourners as Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s funeral carriage drove to the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal – a four km stretch — where the great statesman was cremated with full state honours.
The Prime Minister surprised many by joining the procession on foot from the BJP office, which is located close to the memorials of former Prime Ministers Jawaharlal Nehru and Lal Bahadur Shastri. But that was perhaps PM Modi’s way of performing his Raj Dharma. The crowd spilled over barricades and jostled to get a glimpse of the former prime minister. Then, in sultry weather conditions, thousands walked along, showering petals on the carriage. In a departure from tradition, Vajpayee’s foster daughter Namita Bhattacharya lit the funeral pyre; among other family members present was foster grand-daughter Niharika who broke down as the mortal remains went up in flames.
The former Prime Minister was cremated with full military honours amidst the chanting of Vedic hymns and firing of a 21-gun salute by soldiers. President Ram Nath Kovind, PM Modi and Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu joined a galaxy of political leaders cutting across party lines in bidding adieu to the departed leader at the designated spot for the last rites of Presidents, Vice Presidents and Prime Ministers, on the banks of the Yamuna.The tricolour that was wrapped around Vajpayee’s body was removed and given to foster granddaughter Niharika after which the body was handed over to the family for last rites.Former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Lok Sabha
Speaker Sumitra Mahajan, veteran BJP leaders and Vajpayee’s long-time associates L.K. Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi, RSS Chief Mohan Bhagwat, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Congress President Rahul Gandhi were present at the funeral.Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuk and former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai led foreign dignitaries, including Nepal’s Minister for Foreign Affairs Pradeep Kumar Gyawali, Sri Lanka’s Acting Foreign Minister Lakshman Kiriella and Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, in paying homage.Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister and PDP leader Mehbooba Mufti, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, Congress leaders Ghulam Nabi Azad, Mallikarjun Kharge and Anand Sharma, Lok Sabha Deputy Speker M. Thambidurai, former Union Minister A. Raja, MDMK chief Vaiko and TMC leader Dinesh Trivedi were among who witnessed the last rites at Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.