The mortal remains of former vice-president Bhairon Singh Shekhawat were consigned to flames with state honours on Sunday at a place marked for his memorial in Jaipur. Shekhawat was given a gun salute by the armed police. Vice-president Hamid Ansari, several senior BJP and Congress leaders and chief ministers were present for his cremation.
Shekhawat’s body, wrapped in the tricolour, was kept on a flower-decked vehicle while it passed through the city’s main markets, covering a distance of 16 km to reach Vidyadhar Nagar, where he was laid to rest. Mourners lined up on the route to pay their last respects. A large number of people watched from rooftops in the walled city. Some shouted slogans like “Bhairon Singh Amar Rahe (long live Bhairon Singh).”
It took hours to cross the city and the body of Shekhawat was also brought to the BJP state office where senior leader L.K. Advani, party president Nitin Gadkari, leaders Rajnath Singh, Ananth Kumar, Arun Jaitley and former chief minister Vasundhara Raje were present to pay homage.
Chief minister Ashok Gehlot, along with Union minister C.P. Joshi and Mahadev Singh, was also part of the funeral procession. Members of the Gehlot Cabinet, besides several Congress MPs and MLAs, were also present.
There was a steady stream of visitors to the Pink City to pay homage to the former vice-president, including Gujarat CM Narendra Modi, Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Punjab CM Parkash Singh Badal, Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, Uttaranchal CM Ramesh Pokhriyal. Uttaranchal and Gujarat governors, as well as Telugu Desam leaders, were also present during the funeral.
Former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Leader of the Opposition Sushma Swaraj visited Shekhawat’s residence and offered condolences. A floral wreath was offered on behalf of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Former external affairs minister Jaswant Singh was also present.
The state government had allotted a piece of land in Jaipur for a memorial to be constructed in Shekhawat’s memory. Mr Gehlot himself supervised the arrangements in this regard. The BJP leaders said that a project on “Antyodya” scheme would be prepared in the memory of Shekhawat.
Shops and business establishments were closed in the main markets when the procession was passing through. There were heavy jams and the police found it difficult to manage the traffic. Hundreds from Shekhawat’s home district of Sikar came to Jaipur to bid farewell to their leader.
“It is an emotional moment for us,” said Sikar’s Richhpal Kavia.