Nation bids adieu to Union Minister Ananth Kumar confined to flames with full Military and State honours

Nation bids adieu to Union Minister Ananth Kumar confined to flames with full Military and State honours:
Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar was cremated with full state honours on Tuesday.
The mortal remains of Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ananth Kumar were consigned to flames with full state honours in Bengaluru on Tuesday evening. Anantha Kumar’s brother Nanda Kumar performed the last rites and lit the funeral pyre, amidst chanting of Vedic hymns by priests
Thousands of people from all walks of life, politicians cutting across party lines and party workers paid their last respects to the departed Union Minister H.N.Ananth Kumar during his last journey at Bengaluru this afternoon.
The 59-year-old Minister, who was ailing from cancer, died in the wee hours of Monday at a private hospital here.Ananth Kumar’s body was brought to the BJP State Unit Office in Malleshwaram from his residence ‘Sumeru’ at Basavanagudi on a flower-bedecked military vehicle at around 9 am.The cortege carrying the glass casket was draped in the national flag.
It was escorted by the City Police on the 10-km-long funeral procession, clearing traffic.The casket was kept in the main hall of the Party Office for public viewing where scores of party leaders and cadres who had arrived from across the State by overnight trains, buses and private vehicles, paid homage.
Later, the body was taken to the National College Grounds at Basavanagudi where it was kept in state till afternoon.
From the Basavanagudi residence, where it was kept since Monday morning, the mortal remains were carried in a decorated military vehicle with personnel of the three services,the Army, Navy and Air Force accompanying it, amid slogans of “Bharat Mata Ki Jai” and “Ananth Kumar Amar Rahe” by his supporters.
People had lined up on both sides of the roads at several places to have a final glimpse of their “most loved” Bengaluru MP, known for geniality and accessibility.At the party office, Yeddyurappa and party’s General Secretary in-charge of Karnataka Muralidhar Rao were present.
Military honours
The Union Minster was given a State funeral with full military honours and 21-gun salute before the last rites were conducted in accordance with traditional Hindu rituals at the Chamarajpet crematorium.
The last rites were performed by H.N. Nandakumar,the brother of the late Union Minister, in the presence of his wife, two daughters and other family members. Priest M.G.Srinath and his team performed the rituals.The body was washed with panchagavya,turmeric water amidst chanting of Vedic Mantras and Vishnu Sahasranama.
Ananth Kumar’s mentor and Veteran BJP leader, L.K.Advani,Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh,BJP National President,Amit Shah,Defence Minister,Nirmala Sitharaman,Union Law Minister,V. Ravishankar Prasad,Union Railway and Coal Minister,Piyush Goyal,Petroleum Minister,Dharmendra Pradhan,Union Minister,Dr.Harshavardhan,
Karnataka Legislative Council Acting Chairman,Basavaraj Horatti,State BJP President,B.S.Yeddyurappa, Union Minister,D.V Sadanandagowda, Karnataka Minister D.K.Shivakumar,former CM Jagadish Shettar,RSS leader Bhayyaji Joshi,Karnataka Government Chief Secretary,T.M.Vijay Bhaskar and Bengaluru Mayor,Gangambike Mallikarjun with other leaders and senior officers from Army and Police department attended the funeral and consoled the grieving family members.
Vice-President M.Venkaiah Naidu,Governor R.Vajubhai Vala,Defence Minister,Nirmala Sitharaman,Union Human Resources Minister,Prakash Javadekar,State leaders,K.S.Eshwarappa, R.Ashok, Union Minister,Ramesh Jigajinagi,former CM,M.Veeerappa Moily, BJP Karnataka Affairs In-charge,Muralidhar Rao, Adichunchanagiri Mutt Seer Nirmalanandanatha Swamiji,and a galaxy of State and Central Ministers,Party MPs, RSS functionaries and others paid their tributes.Prime Minister Narendra Modi,Suttur Mutt Seer Shivarathri Deshikendra and other leaders paid their last respects to the departed leader at his residence in Basavanagudi last night.
Prime Minster Narendra Modi flew into the city from Varanasi in Uttar Pradesh and paid last respects to Kumar by placing a wreath on the tricolour-draped glass casket in which his body was kept for public viewing. Modi consoled Kumar’s wife Tejaswini, their two daughters and expressed grief to Kumar’s siblings brother Nanda Kumar and sister Suhasini.The Bengaluru Police had made tight security arrangements by deploying hundreds of Police personnel to ensure smooth funeral procession.
Foraying into politics in 1987, Kumar had remained in the inner circle of the central leadership of the BJP be it during the heyday of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee or Narendra Modi.
Kumar and Yeddyurappa are among a few leaders who are credited with having built the party brick by brick, making it a force that it is today.
The BJP came to power in 2008, making it the first saffron party government in the South, and emerged as the single largest party in the 2018 May polls also, though it fell short of majority by a few seats.
Kumar had served as an important link between the state and Centre at the party and government levels.Born in a middle-class Brahmin family in Bengaluru on July 22, 1959, Ananth Kumar joined the BJP in 1987. He was a six-time parliamentarian.Ananth Kumar’s first election was 1996 parliamentary polls which he won defeating VG Rao of the Congress from South Bangalore Lok Sabha seat. He never lost this seat thereafter.
After mid-term polls in 1998, Ananth Kumar was made a minister in Atal Bihari Vajpayee cabinet. He was then the youngest minister at the Centre. He was the civil aviation minister. Then JDU leader Sharad Yadav succeeded him as civil aviation minister after 1999 Lok Sabha election.
Ananth Kumar was an inner circle member of the BJP when Atal Bihari Vajpayee and LK Advani called the shots in the party. He was key to BJP’s success in Karnataka, bringing the party to power in this South Indian state in 2008. He remained a core member of the BJP under the leadership of Narendra Modi and Amit Shah.The Karnataka government has declared a three-day mourning across the State and one-day public holiday on Monday as a mark of respect to the departed leader.
The national flag flew half-mast on public buildings across the State and all official engagements were cancelled till Wednesday following the declaration of State mourning.
PRAMESH S JAIN