NEW DELHI: Former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee was cremated on Friday with full state honors in central Delhi’s Rashtriya Smriti Sthal on the banks of the Yamuna, the designated spot for the last rites of presidents, vice-presidents and prime ministers.
The last rites of the veteran Bharatiya Janata Party leader were performed on an elevated platform, surrounded by greenery, at the national memorial located between those of former prime ministers Jawaharlal Nehru’s ‘Shanti Van’ and Lal Bahadur Shastri’s ‘Vijay Ghat’.
Senior leaders from across the political spectrum and world leaders gathered in large numbers to pay their last respects to the BJP stalwart who served as the 10th prime minister of the country.
The last rites were performed by his daughter Namita Bhattacharya. Tricolor that was wrapped around former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s mortal remains was handed over to his granddaughter Niharika.
From President Ram Nath Kovind to Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman to Lok Sabha speaker Sumitra Mahajan, top political leaders across the spectrum paid their last respects to the former Prime Minister. Earlier, thousands of people joined the funeral procession with Prime Minister Narendra Modi walking behind the gun carriage carrying the mortal remains. BJP chief Amit Shah, several union ministers and party leaders also walked somberly behind the carriage as it made its way to the Rashtriya Smirti Sthal where the last rites would be performed.
A huge crowd of people showered petals at the funeral procession and jostled to get a glimpse of the former Prime Minister. Agencies
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