Vajpayee cremated with full state honours, nation says goodbye to poet-PM

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, August 17

Bugles sounded the last post, uniformed soldiers gave a gun salute and silence fell over the crowd as former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s mortal remains were consigned to the flames on Friday evening, the sun setting on the life of a poet-politician who combined accommodative politics with graciousness.

Foster daughter Namita Kaul Bhattacharya lit the pyre as cries of “Atal Bihari Amar Rahe” reverberated in the air and a light drizzle fell, piercing the sombre silence. 

President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh were among the thousands of people at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal on the banks of the Yamuna, the BJP patriarch’s final resting place along the stretch which also houses the memorials of Mahatma Gandhi, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi.

Several foreign dignitaries, including Bhutanese king Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali and Pakistan’s Law Minister Ali Zafar were present as Vajpayee was cremated with full state honours.

Thousands of mourners poured into the streets of the National Capital as Vajpayee’s cortege made its way from his home to the BJP headquarters on Deendayal Upadhyay Marg and then to the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal.

Modi, who along with BJP president Amit Shah walked behind the gun carriage decorated with flowers for the entire route of nearly 3.5 kilometers, later said people came from all parts of India and from all sections of society to pay tributes to an extraordinary personality who made an extraordinary contribution to the nation.

“India salutes you Atal Ji!” Modi tweeted.

The Tricolour draping Vajpayee, who died yesterday at the age of 93 following prolonged illness at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, was folded and handed over to his granddaughter Niharika. 

It was a sea of white, with most mourners dressed in the colour of mourning to remember the man who wove together pragmatism and his vision for an inclusive India. Some could be seen wiping their tears.

The intensity of the moment and the heat led to some mourners fainting.  Among them was Khush Chaturvedi.

“I am not politically inclined but I wanted to meet (former president) Kalam and Vajpayee once. I couldn’t manage to meet them when they were alive, but I had to be here today,” the 27-year-old from Siwan in Bihar said.

There were people everywhere, covering the roads along the route from the BJP headquarters to the Smriti Sthal from side to side, with security personnel maintaining strict vigil to ensure that nothing goes wrong.

These were extraordinary scenes last seen when Congress leader Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated in May 1991 and his funeral procession was taken from Teen Murti Bhavan to the banks of the Yamuna, said old-timers.

The crowds had begun gathering from last night itself as news came in of the death of  the three-time prime minister—who joined the RSS in 1947, rose through ranks to become a stalwart of the BJP and was the first non-Congress prime minister to complete a full term in office. They first gathered at the hospital, then at his Krishna Menon Marg home and then at the BJP headquarters.

The young and old, men and women, some with children, collected outside the gates of the BJP office, anxious for a last glimpse of the late leader. Some clambered on a neem tree outside, desperate to be part of the proceedings but unable to get inside.

Inside, Modi and a host of ministers and party workers paid their last respects to the late leader, hailed by them and the Opposition as one of India’s tallest leaders.

Hundreds of people were also seen with a large portrait of a smiling Vajpayee—a BJP flag on either side—in the backdrop. 

Earlier in the morning, hundreds of people chanted “Atal Bihari Amar Rahe” as Vajpayee’s cortege made its way from his home through the city to reach the BJP office about five kilometres away.

Mourners walked and ran beside the carriage, also chanting slogans like ‘Jab tak sooraj chand rahega Atal ji ka naam rahega (Till the sun and moon endure, so will Atal’ ji’s name)”, punctuated by patriotic cheers of ‘Bharat Mata ki jai’ and ‘Vande Mataram’.

In the crowd were Ganeshan, 38, and Chennaiah Nadesan, 45, who had flown in from Tamil Nadu, who described Vajpayee as “achcha politician, achcha parliamentarian, pure man” in a mix of Hindi and English after paying his homage.

Aakash Kumar, 25, rode his scooter from Baghpat in Uttar Pradesh, about 70 km away.

“I was probably in Class 3 or 4, when I heard one of his speeches and got drawn towards him. I really liked his poems,” Aakash said.

As eulogies were written, analysts took stock of the politician and the man and the city returned to normalcy, BJP leader Anurag Thakur said the massive turnout showed he resided in the hearts of people.

“Not only has India has lost a leader, a son, the world has lost a statesman,” Thakur told reporters.

Seen as a moderate face of BJP, Vajpayee first became prime minister in 1996, leading a shaky coalition whose members were suspicious of the BJP’s right-wing politics. It lasted for 13 days and collapsed after losing a vote of no-confidence.

His second stint as prime minister was in 1998 when the National Democratic Alliance again came to power but that lasted for just 13 months.

Finally, the NDA with Vajpayee as PM returned to power in 1999 and was voted out in 2004.

In the morning, Congress President Rahul Gandhi, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Army Chief Bipin Rawat, Chief of Naval Staff Admiral Sunil Lanba and RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat paid homage to the former prime minister at his official residence.

In view of the funeral procession, several roads in the national capital were closed for the public.

Some roads closed from 8 am included Krishna Menon Marg, Sunehri Bagh Road, Tughlak Road, Akbar Road, Tees January Marg, Man Singh Road, Bhagwan Dass Road, Shahjahan Road and Sikandara Road.

DDU Marg, IP Marg, BSZ Marg (from Tilak Bridge to Delhi Gate), JLN Marg (from Rajghat to Delhi Gate) were also closed, the traffic police said.

Commuters had been advised to use Aurobindo Marg, Safdarjung Road, Mother Teresa Crescent, Park Street, Mandir Marg to travel between north and south Delhi.

Those travelling between east and west Delhi were advised to use Vikas Marg, Shahdara Bridge and Wazirabad Bridge to reach Ring Road.

Highlights

5:00 pm: Vajpayee cremated. His foster daughter Namita Bhattacharya performs last rites. 

4:30 pm: Tricolour wrapped around mortal Atal Bihari Vajpayee's remains handed over to his granddaughter Niharika.

4:25 pm: Former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai and Sri Lanka acting Foreign Minister Lakshman Kiriella pay last respects to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

4: 20 pm King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck pays last respects.

3:57 pm: Congress president Rahul Gandhi and former prime minister Manmohan Singh at the funeral. 

3:45 pm: Convoy reaches Smriti Sthal. 

3:05 pm: Former Afghanistan president Hamid Karzai arrives in Delhi for Vajpayee's funeral.

2:00 pm: Atal Bihari Vajpayee begins on final journey to Rashtriya Smriti Sthal, where he will be laid to rest. Accompanied by top BJP leaders, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. 

1:45 pm: King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck pays tribute to former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee at BJP HQ. 

12:50 pm: Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Deputy CM Manish Sisodia and AAP MP Sanjay Singh pay last respects to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at BJP Headquarters.

12:45 pm: Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan pays last respects to the former prime minister.

12:20 pm: Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal Pradeep Kumar Gyawali arrives in Delhi,.He will attend the funeral.

12:10 pm: Bangladesh Foreign Minister Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali arrives in Delhi. He will attend the funeral.

12:00 pm: Shiv Sena Chief Uddhav Thackeray at the BJP Headquarters.

12:00 pm: Veteran BJP leader LK Advani and his daughter Pratibha Advani pay last respects to former prime minister Vajpayee. 

11:40 pm: UP Chief Minister Adityanath and Governor Ram Naik pay last respects to former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at BJP Headquarters.

11:30 pm: DMK leader A Raja, Assam CM Sarbananda Sonowal and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh pay last respects to the former prime minister. 

11:25 pm: Union Minister Suresh Prabhu and BJP National General Secretary Ram Madhav pay last respects to the former prime minister.

11:25 pm: BJP President Amit Shah and Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh pays last respects to the former prime minister.

11:00 pm: The mortal remains of former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee have been brought to BJP Headquarters. — With agencies

Muslim cleric, students  wait for a glimpse

As Atal Bihari Vajpayee's funeral procession wound its way through Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, a man wearing a skull cap and sporting a flowing beard, led a group of madrassa students chanting in praise of the departed leader as a mark of gratitude for the ex-PM who once helped him settle a dispute over a mosque.

The students from a nearby Muslim seminary said they had been waiting near a busy crossing close to ITO since early morning on a sultry Friday. “These children got ready in the morning. They have been waiting since then to get a glimpse of Vajpayeeji. They said when his funeral procession will pass through the road, they would salute him. He was a man of truth. And such men live forever,” Ameen-ud-Din said.

“For a man who stood behind each one of us, we say ‘Jab tak sooraj chaand rahega... Atalji ka naam rahega’.” He always remembered Vajpayee as a “genuine human being”. — IANS

Ashes to be immersed in all 75 UP districts

Lucknow: Former PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s ashes will be immersed in rivers in all 75 Uttar Pradesh districts. The UP Government has put out a list of rivers, big and small, for the purpose. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said this was being done because UP had been Vajpayee’s ‘karmabhoomi’ and its people would get an opportunity to be part of his final journey. Vajpayee represented the state’s national capital in the Lok Sabha for five consecutive terms. TNS

Volunteers clear litter along funeral route 

New Delhi: While a large number of overwhelmed people accompanied Vajpayee on his last journey, there were groups amidst them who voluntarily engaged themselves in removing bottles and other waste along the route as a homage to the departed leader. Deen Dayal Upadhyay Road to ITO Crossing was most littered. Ram Sharan (67), who had come from Bagpat (UP), said: “We are removing the waste as we want the road used by Atalji for his last journey to remain clean.” TNS

Sir, you will be missed: Vajpayee’s guards

New Delhi: It was a poignant moment for the Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel to bid goodbye to the man whom they had protected all these 14 years. The body guards of Vajpayee on Friday stood in queue, away from cameras and crowd, and took turns to silently offer their homage to the departed leader. “He was a tall leader. We will miss him,” said an SPG officer. The team of 20 people in each shift of eight hours (total 60) used to guard Vajpayee at his 6A Krishna Menon Marg Road residence. ANI