The state capital on Friday bid a tearful adieu to P Govinda Pillai, Marxist ideologue and one of its most loved socio-political and cultural leader, who passed away on Thursday night.
The mortal remains were cremated at the Santhikavadam electric crematorium at 4.15 pm with full state honours.
Hundreds of people from various walks of life came to pay their last respects to the departed leader.
CPM politburo member S Ramachandran Pillai, state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan, CPI state secretary Pannian Ravindran, RSP national secretary T J Chandrachoodan, Speaker G Karthikeyan, Home Minister Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan, Health Minister V S Sivakumar, Industries Minister P K Kunhalikutty, Opposition Leader V S Achuthanandan, V M Sudheeran, Deputy Speaker N Sakthan, Bharatheeya Vichara Kendram director P Parameswaran, CPI leader E Chandrasekharan Nair, CPM central committee members T M Thomas Isaac, P K Sreemathy, M Vijayakumar and others paid their last respects when the body was placed at PG’s house.
The body was taken to AKG Centre by 11.30 am and kept there for more than half an hour. Large number of party workers and others paid their last respects there.
When the body was taken to the VJT Hall around 12.15 pm for the public to pay tributes, large number of people queued up to have a last glimpse of the scholar.
Pinarayi Vijayan and other leaders came here and remained there for hours. LDF convener Vaikom Viswan, CPM politburo member M A Baby, Central committee member P K Gurudasan, secretariat member Anathalavattom Anandan, A K Balan, M V Govindan, Veteran CPI leader Veliyam Bhargavan, Ramachandran Kadannappally, KPCC former president Thennala Balakrishna Pillai, poets Sugathakumari, Puthusseri Ramachandran, V Madhusoodhanan Nair, Ezhacheri Ramachandran, D Vinayachandran, writer George Onakkoor, M R Thampan, film director Harikumar and others paid their respects.
T J S George, Editorial Adviser to The New Indian Express paid his last respect to PG at the VJT Hall. KUWJ state president K C Rajagopal, Kerala Press Academy chairman N P Rajendran and others also paid their respects.
Large number of CPM workers from neighboring districts of Kollam and Pathanamthitta and his home district of Ernakulam came to have a last glimpse of the leader.
PG’s wife M J Rajamma, son M G Radhkrishanan, daughter R Parvathy Devi, Son-in-law V Sivankutty MLA, daughter-in-law A Jayasree and other relatives and friends joined the funeral procession.