Thousands of mourners bid a tearful adieu on Thursday to one of the country's promising politicians and BJP's master strategist Pramod Mahajan, who was cremated here with full State honours.
MUMBAI: Thousands of mourners bid a tearful adieu on Thursday to one of the country's promising politicians and BJP's master strategist Pramod Mahajan, who was cremated here with full State honours in the presence of a galaxy of dignitaries led by Vice-President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat.
Slogans such as 'Pramod Mahajan Amar Rahe' (Long live Mahajan) and 'Jab Tak Sooraj Chand Rahega, Mahajan Tera Naam Rahega' rent the air as the mortal remains of the 57-year old Gen Next leader of the Opposition BJP was consigned to flames at the Shivaji Park cremation grounds here.
The former Union minister's son Rahul lit the funeral pyre amidst chanting of Vedic hymns. The buglers sounded the last post and Maharashtra police personnel reversed their arms and fired in the air as a mark of respect to the leader, who died on Wednesday at the Hinduja Hospital after battling for life for 12 days after his younger brother Pravin pumped three bullets into him.
Rahul hugged and consoled his sister Poonam as Mahajan's mortal remains went up in flames. Mahajan's brother Prakash, brother-in-law Gopinath Munde and close associate Sudhanshu Mittal broke down and were comforted by party leaders and workers.
Present at the cremation grounds to pay homage to the departed soul were Vice-President Shekhawat and a shocked BJP top brass led by former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and leaders of Opposition L K Advani and Jaswant Singh. The government of India was represented by Home Minister Shivraj
Patil.
Congress leader Motilal Vora, Union Minister Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel, RSS Chief K S Sudarshan, VHP firebrand leader Praveen Togadia, NDA Convener George Fernandes, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Chief Ministers of all BJP-ruled states including Gujarat's Narendra Modi and Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray were present, reflecting the late leader's popularity across the country's political spectrum.
A wreath on behalf of President A P J Abdul Kalam was placed on the casket containing Mahajan's body. Other leaders too offered floral tributes.
While Mahajan's younger brother, Pravin, who shot him is in jail, his (Pravin's) wife and their children kept away from the cremation.
BJP President Rajnath Singh and son Rahul were among the pall bearers who kept the body in a flower-bedecked truck.
Mahajan's body was brought to the cremation grounds in a funeral procession which wound its way through the streets of Mumbai from his Worli residence, where he was shot at and injured by Pravin on April 22.
Relatives, senior leaders cutting across party lines and people from all walks of life made a beeline to his home where the body was brought this morning.
Senior BJP leader L K Advani and his family were among the first to pay tributes, followed by RSS chief K S Sudarshan, BJP president Rajnath Singh, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh and his son.
Mahajan's party colleagues, who paid homage, included Jaswant Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi, Sushma Swaraj, Arun Jaitley, Venkaiah Naidu, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, Vijay Kumar Malhotra, Sahib Singh Verma, besides VHP leader Praveen Togadia, Najma Heptullah, and Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray.
Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, Union Minister for Communications and IT Dayanidhi Maran and NDA Convener George Fernandes also paid their last respects.
Industrialists Anil Ambani, Naresh Goyal, media baron and Rajya Sabha member Vijay Darda, Lok Sabha member Haren Pathak, Bollywood personalities Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillon, Madhur Bhandarkar, Ashok Pandit, Jan Morcha President Raj Babbar were among the people who paid homage to the departed leader.
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