Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, who passed away at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) at 5:05 pm yesterday (Aug 16), was cremated with full State honours at the Rashtriya Smriti Sthal in New Delhi today (Aug 17).
Vajpayee’s foster daughter Namita Bhattacharyaa lit the funeral pyre in the presence of thousands of people that included President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice-President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, former PM Manmohan Singh, BJP president Amit Shah, Congress president Rahul Gandhi, senior BJP leader and patriarch LK Advani, central ministers and a host of foreign dignitaries representing their respective nations as the last rites were performed with Hindu rituals.
#JustIn | Daughter Namita performs last rites of former Prime Minister #AtalBihariVajpayee amid chants of "Long Live Atal-ji" at Delhi's Smriti Sthal amid gun salute.
Pics: ANI pic.twitter.com/yV1nZroUjD
— NEWS LIVE (@NewsLiveGhy) August 17, 2018
#AtalBihariVajpayee's daughter Namita Bhattacharya performs last rites at Delhi's Smriti Sthal. pic.twitter.com/40eDt08iQ0
— NEWS LIVE (@NewsLiveGhy) August 17, 2018
Earlier in the afternoon, the mortal remains of the former Prime Minister were brought from the BJP headquarters and taken to Smriti Sthal for the funeral. Prime Minister Modi, BJP president Amit Shah, along with all central ministers and other BJP leaders walked the entire stretch of the road from the BJP headquarters to Smriti Sthal as lakhs of people lined up the streets, showering flowers on the casket carrying his mortal remains and chanting “Atalji Amar Rahe”.
#FLASH | Mortal remains of former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee being taken from BJP Headquarters to Smriti Sthal for the funeral. pic.twitter.com/qbTDIIXPsF
— NEWS LIVE (@NewsLiveGhy) August 17, 2018
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President Kovind, Prime Minister Modi and other dignitaries attending the funeral of Atal Bihari Vajpayee, including representatives of SAARC nations, paid their final tributes before the mortal remains were consigned to flames with full state honours amid the chanting of hymns and Sanskrit slokas.
President Ram Nath Kovind, PM @narendramodi pay last respects to former PM #AtalBihariVajpayee at Smriti Sthal in Delhi.
Image Credit: ANI pic.twitter.com/BXwMx2OeNr
— NEWS LIVE (@NewsLiveGhy) August 17, 2018
Former PM Manmohan Singh, BJP president Amit Shah and senior BJP leader and #AtalBehariVajpayee's closest colleague Lal Krishna Advani pay their last respects to the mortal remains at Smriti Sthal, Delhi.
Pics: ANI pic.twitter.com/l0nQ4Kuync
— NEWS LIVE (@NewsLiveGhy) August 17, 2018
