NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi left for Goa on Monday to pay tribute to chief minister Manohar Parrikar, who died of pancreatic cancer on Sunday.
Modi left for Goa soon after the Union Cabinet meeting, which was convened to condole the demise of Parrikar. BJP president Amit Shah will also be in Goa to take part in the funeral procession of the late leader, the party said.
The Goa chief minister's body has been kept at the BJP office in Panaji for the party leaders and workers to pay their last respects.
From there, his body would be taken to Kala Academy, around three kilometres away, to allow the public pay their tributes.
Parrikar, a four-time chief minister, died at his private residence Sunday evening after battling the pancreatic ailment since February last year.
The IIT graduate represented Panaji Assembly seat in the state for over two decades. Parrikar's final journey will begin after 4 pm.
His last rites will be performed at 5 pm at the Miramar beach here, next to the memorial of Goa's first chief minister Dayanand Bandodkar, who was also cremated there.
Parrikar would be accorded a state funeral with full military honours, according to the home ministry. The central government has announced national mourning on Monday.