NEW DELHI: Former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee was cremated on Friday with full state honours at Smriti Sthal here, with top political leaders cutting across party lines and foreign dignitaries in attendance. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP party chief Amit Shah walked the length of about 5 km along with the gun carriage carrying the mortal remains of Vajpayee from the party headquarters to the Smriti Sthal overlooking the Red Fort. Hundreds of people lined up enroute to catch a last glimpse of Vajpayee who had been prime minister for three terms.
Vajpayee’s adopted daughter Namita Bhattacharya lit the funeral pyre amid Vedic chants and a light drizzle. Defence personnel handed over the national flag wrapped around his mortal remains to Namita’s daughter Nivedita.President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu, BJP patriarch L K Advani, former PM Manmohan Singh, Congress president Rahul Gandhi and many CMs attended the funeral ceremony. Former Union minister Farooq Abdullah and former J&K chief minister Mehbooba Mufti, too, were present.
The SAARC countries were represented by Bhutan King Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck, former Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai, Bangladesh foreign minister Abul Hasaan Mahmood Ali, Sri Lankan acting foreign minister Lakshaman Kiriella, and Pakistan Law Minister Ali Zafar.