HYDERABAD: Veteran Congress leader and former union minister S Jaipal Reddy was cremated with full state honour on Monday. Jaipal Reddy passed away in the wee hours of Sunday at a private hospital. Family members, colleagues, Congress workers and admirers braved heavy rains to bid him a final farewell.
Jaipal Reddy's elder son Arvind Reddy lit the funeral pyre amid chanting of vedic mantras by priests, while contingents from the state armed police fired three rounds in the air and reversed the arms as a mark of respect to the departed leader.
Senior Congress leaders and leaders of other parties as well paid tributes to the 77-year-old Congress veteran. CPM General Secretary Sitaram Yechury, AICC general secretaries Mallikarjun Kharge, Gulam Nabi Azad, PC Chacko, Ramachandra Khuntia, Karnataka former chief minister Siddaramaiah, Karnataka former Assembly speaker K R Ramesh, Rajya Sabha member D Srinivas, animal husbandry minister Talasni Srinivas Yadav, TRS senior MLA T Harish Rao, Congress MLAs Mallu Bhatti Vikramarka , J Geeta Reddy, former minister K Jana Reddy and several politicians and eminent personalities attended the funeral.
Siddaramaiah and Ramesh even carried the body of Jaipal Reddy along with the departed leader's family members, while performing the rituals. An emotional Ramesh broke down as soon as he saw the mortal remains of the late leader.
Earlier, Jaipal Reddy's body was taken to Gandhi Bhavan where top party leaders, including Sitaram Yechury, Mallikarjun Kharge, Gulam Nabi Azad, PC Chacko, Ramachandra Khuntia paid their respects. Scores of people and party workers reached Gandhi Bhavan to pay last respect to the departed leader.