Thousands pay homage to Congress veteran

Dec 25, 2010 - Age Correspondent |

Thiruvananthapuram

In an unprecedented display of grief, tens of thousands of people lined up on the sides of the roads leading from Thiruvananthapuram to Thrissur on Friday, to pay their last respects to the departed Congress veteran K. Karunakaran.

The vehicle carrying the four-time chief minister’s body literally had to inch forward from the capital in the afternoon because of the surging crowds which insisted on having a last glimpse of their favourite leader, shouting slogans that he would live forever in their minds.
Though the funeral procession was supposed to reach Kollam by 3 pm, it winded its way there only after 7 pm. The cremation is scheduled to be held at Karunakaran’s residence in Thrissur on Saturday afternoon. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh will attend it.
At various spots, Congress leaders led by the KPCC chief Ramesh Chennithala had to patiently bear the anger of workers who were not able to see their hero for the last time.
The last time Kerala witnessed such an outpouring of public sadness was when the Marxist leader and former chief minister E.K. Nayanar passed away in 2004.
Earlier in the morning, Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Union home minister P. Chidambaram arrived at the KPCC headquarters, Indira Bhavan, to pay homage to the senior leader. Mrs Gandhi folded her hands before his casket and also spent a minute with his son K. Muraleedharan who, incidentally, is waiting for her nod to re-enter the party. Thousands of admirers who had reached Indira Bhavan were kept at bay till the Congress president left.
Karunakaran’s body was then taken to the Durbar Hall of the state secretariat, where too long queues had formed by around 11 am. The chief minister, Mr V.S. Achuthanandan, his Cabinet colleagues, the CPI(M) state secretary Pinarayi Vijayan and a host of other political, community and religious leaders paid their last respects here.
More than the presence of political leaders, it was the surge of people from all walks of life that indicated the influence he had in the state.

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