05-04-2006, 09:30 PM
<b>Mahajan's mortal remains consigned to flames </b><!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin-->After a police bugler sounded the last post, the contingent of 16 cops led by their sword-wielding leader reversed their arms as a mark of respect to the departed leader.
Mahajan's brother Prakash, brother-in-law Gopinath Munde and close associate Sudhanshu Mittal broke down and were comforted by party leaders and workers.
Earlier, Mr Vajpayee, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Union Ministers Sharad Pawar, Murli Deora and Praful Patel, besides Chief Ministers of five BJP-ruled States and Mr Nitish Kumar of Bihar paid floral tributes to Mr Mahajan, who died Wednesday after fighting gunshot injuries for 12 days. While Mahajan's younger brother, Pravin, who shot him is in jail, Pravin's wife and children kept away from the cremation.
Wreaths on behalf of President A P J Abdul Kalam were laid by Major General Vinod Chopra, while Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil represented Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
State Chief Secretary D K Shankaran laid wreath on behalf of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, while former Uttar Pradesh Governor Moti Lal Vora paid floral respects on behalf of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
<b>NDA convenor George Fernandes had to be helped by former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to enable the former pay his respects to the departed leader</b>.
Union Minister Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel, <b>RSS Chief K S Sudarshan, VHP firebrand leader Praveen Togadia</b>, NDA Convener George Fernandes, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Chief Ministers of all BJP-ruled states including<b> Gujarat's Narendra Modi and Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray </b>were present, reflecting the late leader's popularity across the country's political spectrum.
Shops along the roads from where the procession passed remained closed and party flags, posters were put up there.
Earlier, police contingent gave a ceremonial salute before the body was put in an open 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.
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, industrialists Anil Ambani, Naresh Goyal, media baron and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, Lok Sabha MP Haren Pathak, Bollywood personalities Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillon, Madhur Bhandarkar, Ashok Pandit, Janmorcha President Raj Babbar.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Looks like Fernandes is very sick.
It means rumors are true, Togadia's anti Mahajan rant was for media consumption.
Mahajan's brother Prakash, brother-in-law Gopinath Munde and close associate Sudhanshu Mittal broke down and were comforted by party leaders and workers.
Earlier, Mr Vajpayee, Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat, Union Ministers Sharad Pawar, Murli Deora and Praful Patel, besides Chief Ministers of five BJP-ruled States and Mr Nitish Kumar of Bihar paid floral tributes to Mr Mahajan, who died Wednesday after fighting gunshot injuries for 12 days. While Mahajan's younger brother, Pravin, who shot him is in jail, Pravin's wife and children kept away from the cremation.
Wreaths on behalf of President A P J Abdul Kalam were laid by Major General Vinod Chopra, while Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil represented Prime Minister Dr Manmohan Singh.
State Chief Secretary D K Shankaran laid wreath on behalf of Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee, while former Uttar Pradesh Governor Moti Lal Vora paid floral respects on behalf of Congress president Sonia Gandhi.
<b>NDA convenor George Fernandes had to be helped by former External Affairs Minister Jaswant Singh to enable the former pay his respects to the departed leader</b>.
Union Minister Sharad Pawar and Praful Patel, <b>RSS Chief K S Sudarshan, VHP firebrand leader Praveen Togadia</b>, NDA Convener George Fernandes, Maharashtra Chief Minister Vilasrao Deshmukh, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and Chief Ministers of all BJP-ruled states including<b> Gujarat's Narendra Modi and Sena leader Uddhav Thackeray </b>were present, reflecting the late leader's popularity across the country's political spectrum.
Shops along the roads from where the procession passed remained closed and party flags, posters were put up there.
Earlier, police contingent gave a ceremonial salute before the body was put in an open 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.
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, industrialists Anil Ambani, Naresh Goyal, media baron and Rajya Sabha MP Vijay Darda, Lok Sabha MP Haren Pathak, Bollywood personalities Hema Malini, Poonam Dhillon, Madhur Bhandarkar, Ashok Pandit, Janmorcha President Raj Babbar.<!--QuoteEnd--><!--QuoteEEnd-->
Looks like Fernandes is very sick.
It means rumors are true, Togadia's anti Mahajan rant was for media consumption.