Karunakaran’s last journey begins

Congress leader Karunakaran’s last journey began from Kerala’s capital city — a place where he ruled the roost for almost four decades — Friday morning as his body was moved in a state-owned bus to the party headquarters from where it would journey through many towns before reaching Thrissur for his cremation a day later.

Congress president Sonia Gandhi, who arrived by a special flight, spent around five minutes paying homage to Karunakaran and conveyed her condolences to his family.

Union home minister P Chidambaram also paid his last respects to the veteran Congress leader.