Digvijay Singh's body arrives, Nitish Kumar-Lalu Prasad pay respect

Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and RJD supremo Lalu Prasad, besides several other leaders from the state, today paid their last respect to former union minister Digvijay Singh, who died three days ago at a hospital in London.

As the body of Singh reached Patna Junction by New Delhi-Howrah Poorva express this morning, Kumar with his several ministerial colleagues, MPs and legislators, paid their respect to the departed leader.

The dignitaries waited for more than half-an-hour for arrival of the train which was delayed by over two hours, RJD chief Prasad and his party MP Ramkripal Yadav also placed wreaths on the body when it was taken out of a special coach attached to the train.

The body was then taken to Jasidih station in Jharkhand en-route to Gidhaur in Banka for cremation tomorrow.

Singh breathed his last at St Thomas Hospital where he was being treated for heart ailment on June 24. He suffered a brain haemorrhage while in the hospital.

The 55-year-old Singh, an independent member of the Lok Sabha from Banka in Bihar, is survived by his wife and two daughters.

Singh, a close confidante of former prime minister Chandrashekhar, had served as minister of state for railways and minister of state for external affairs in his government and Atal Bihari Vajpayee-led NDA governments at the Centre.

Singh had fought the last Lok Sabha election as an independent after being denied ticket from JD(U) despite being a sitting MP.