Date:25/12/2004 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2004/12/25/stories/2004122504721200.htm

National

Leaders pay last respects to Rao

By Our Special Correspondent

Defence personnel carry the body of the former Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, to an aircraft to be flown to Hyderabad from New Delhi, on Friday. — AP

NEW DELHI, DEC. 24. Leaders of various political shades today paid their last respects to the former Prime Minister, P.V. Narasimha Rao, with the Congress president, Sonia Gandhi,placing the party flag and a wreath over the body when it reached 24, Akbar Road, party headquarters.

The body of Mr. Rao, who passed away here on Thursday, was shifted from his 9, Motilal Nehru Marg residence to the AICC headquarters for a brief time before being flown to Hyderabad.

The Prime Minister, Manmohan Singh, members of his Cabinet and United Progressive Alliance constituent leaders, Ram Vilas Paswan, were among those who offered floral tributes. The Chief Ministers of Delhi and Meghalaya, Sheila Dikshit and D.D. Lapang, also paid homage.

The Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary, Harkishan Singh Surjeet, accompanied by Polit Bureau member, Sitaram Yechury, placed a wreath. Scores of senior Congress Working Committee members, and other leaders were among those who paid homage.

The body of Mr. Rao was moved from Motilal Nehru Marg to the adjacent Akbar Road in a flower-bedecked carriage, tugged by a military vehicle and escorted by services personnel.

The family members of Mr. Rao, including his three sons, P.V. Ranga Rao, P.V Rajeswara Rao and P.V. Prabhakar Rao, were among those who went with the body.

Earlier, several party leaders such as the Nationalist Congress Party leader, Sharad Pawar, the Rashtriya Janata Dal leader, Lalu Prasad, the former Prime Minister, V.P. Singh, the Bharatiya Janata Party leader, Jaswant Singh, and the former Samata Party president, Jaya Jaitly, were among those who paid respects at Mr. Rao's official residence.

Congress Seva Dal workers carrying the party flag filed in a row as the military vehicle pulled the cortege to the airport.

The party leaders, Motilal Vora and Ashok Gehlot, accompanied the body while the Union Ministers, S. Jaipal Reddy and Prithviraj Chavan, did so from the Government side.

The Union Ministers, Pranab Mukherjee and Shivraj Patil, the Lieutenant Governor of Delhi, B.L. Joshi, and Ms. Dikshit were present at the airport.