YARAGUPPI, HUBBALLI TALUK : Minister Channabasappa Shivalli was laid to rest at his native village Yaraguppi on Saturday. Last rites of the departed leader were conducted with state honours in the presence of Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy and Congress Legislature Party leader Siddaramaiah. He was buried where his parents and elder brother and sister were laid to rest in their field.
Shivalli passed away on Friday due to a massive cardiac arrest. After keeping his mortal remains on a school premise in Kungol on Friday night, it was brought to his native place. The body was taken in a procession through main streets of Yaraguppi before taking it to his field for burial. Hundreds of his followers and party workers paid their last respects.
By afternoon, top Congress leaders started arriving at Yaraguppi. Water Resources Minister D K Shivakumar, who was the real force behind bringing Shivalli to the Congress in 2000, turned emotional and stopped his speech in the middle. Vinay Kulkarni also broke into tears by recalling his association with Shivalli.Paying last respects, Siddaramaiah said it’s hard to believe that Shivalli is no more. He was a rare political leader and honest to the core.
Chief Minister Kumaraswamy also became emotional and said in just nine months of relation, Shivalli had won his heart. He promised his family members that he would take care of them as a brother. “Whenever Shivalli met me, he raised problems of people and talked about the development of his constituency. Such a rare quality had made him a popular leader,” he added.
Once the Chief Minister paid last respects, the mortal remains of Shivalli were brought to the burial place in his field. Thousands of people kept on raising slogans in favour of their leader. Before laying the body to rest, three rounds of bullets were fired in the air in respect of the departed leader and the tricolour wrapped on the body was handed over to his wife Kusuma. Deputy Chief Minister G Parameshwara, ministers M B Patil and Zameer Ahmad Khan, KPCC president Dinesh Gundu Rao, senior JD(S) leader Bsavaraj Horatti, MP Prahlad Joshi and several top Congress and JD(S) leaders were present.