Thousands of people bid tearful adieu to Uttarakhand’s finance minister late Prakash Pant

Hundreds of people, followers and Bhartiya Janata Party workers of Uttarakhand today bid adieu to the finance minister of Uttarakhand Prakash Pant who breathed his last two days ago in a hospital in United States of America.

Pant died due to the cancer of the lungs in a private hospital in US. His body draped in a tricolour was brought to New Delhi in a special plane from where it was ferried to Jolly Grant Airport Rishikesh at 10 AM.

Pant’s body was kept at SDRF Bhawan near the Airport for last respects. The chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat, his cabinet colleagues, the Congress party n BJP leaders, MLAs across party spectrum paid their last respects to the departed soul.

An hour after the late leader’s body was taken via special plane to Pithoragarh acconpanied by the chief minister Rawat and few of his cabinet colleagues who went in a chpper.

After the special plane reached the Naini Airport, Pant’s body draped in a tri color and flowers was brought to Dev Singh Ground for final obiesance.

The union Defence minister Rajnath Singh, Human Resource Development minister Dr. Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank, Rajya Sabha MP n BJP’s national media incharge Anil Baluni and union minister Ashwani Choube laid wrath on his body and bid him respectful adieu.

The union minister Rajnath Singh and other dignitories became too emotional while paying their last tributes to late Prakash Pant.

The Uttarakhand governor Baby Rani Maurya also laid wrath on the body of late Uttarakhand minister.

Later on the body of Prakash Pant was taken to his house at Kadkot, Uttarakhand.

His traumatic family members were in tears and hundreds of people gathered in the vicinity raising slogans hailing him” Jab Tak Suraj chaand rahega Prakash Pant tera Naam rahega” Prakash Pant you are immortal. “Your name will be alive till the sun and moon will exist”.

There was not an inch space to stand on roads and streets. People were standing on the roof tops and showering flowers on this dead body with tears in their eyes.

At 6.30 PM late Prakash Pant’s body reached the banks of Saryu river amid raising of slogans hailing the late minister.

He was finally consigned to flames at the Saryu river bank with 21 gun salutes and chanting of traditional spiritual hyms.

Many prominent dignitories of the state were present at the last funeral rites of the late minister besides family members viz. Chief minister of Uttarakhand Trivendra Singh Rawat, former CM and MP Bhagat Singh Koshiyari, former union minister and Almora MP Ajay Tamata, State BJP president and MP from Nainital Ajay Bhatt, Rajya Sabha MP Pradeep Tamata, Cooperative minister Dhan Singh Rawat, Harish Rawat, Ex CM UK n general secretary AICC, MLA Bishen Singh Chuphal, Pushkar Singh Dhami, Mahesh Negi, Chandan Ram Das, Govind Singh Kunjwal n many other ex ministers n MLAs.

It may be recalled that late Prakash Pant had been minister in all the BJP governments of the state and was currently the finance minister. He was quite popular as a politician with integrity, kbowledge and depth.

He was very well versed in legislative affairs, norms of the house and knowledge of the constitution. He was also in the race for chief ministership. His untimely demise has undoubtedly left a huge vaccum in the Uttarakhand assembly and politics as politicians of Pant’s calibre and impeccable integrity are seldom found in today’s politics.