BHIND: The mortal remains of the Leader of Opposition in Madhya Pradesh Assembly, Satyadev Katare, were today consigned to flames with full state honours at his native village Manepura, around 25 km from here. His son Hemant lit the funeral pyre amid chanting of 'mantras.'
Thousands of people gathered at the crematorium to pay their last respect to the departed leader. Congress chief whip in Lok Sabha Jyotiraditya Scindia, former Union Ministers Kamal Nath, Suresh Pachori, AICC general secretaries Digvijay Singh, Mohan Prakash and state Congress chief Arun Yadav along with MP Ministers Narottam Mishra and Lal Singh Arya paid their last respect to Katare. Several MLAs and representatives of civic bodies, cutting across party lines, took part in the funeral.
61-year-old Karate, who was suffering from lung cancer and undergoing treatment at the Hiranandani Hospital in Mumbai since April 18, passed away on October 20. Katare is survived by his wife, two sons and a daughter. He started his political career from a remote village, Manepura, in Bhind district and was awarded the title of 'Best Youth Coordinator' for his dedication and work in Muzaffarpur district of Bihar.
He was appointed as General Secretary of Madhya Pradesh Youth Congress in 1985 and discharged his duties till 1990. Impressed by his work for the party, late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi gave him an Assembly ticket from Ater. Katare won the seat in February 1985.
He served as the Minister of State of Home and also as Minister for Food and Civil Supplies in the then chief minister Digvijay Singh's Cabinet. In 1995, he was adjudged the 'Best Minister' in Madhya Pradesh. Katare was awarded as the 'Best MLA' in 2008 by former Lok Sabha Speaker Somnath Chatterjee.