BJP stalwart, ex-PM, Vajpayee cremated with state honours

The 93-year-old Bharatiya Janata Party leader and ex-PM , Atul Behari Vajpayee was cremated at the Rashtriya Smrithi Sthal with full state honours on 17.8.2018.

He died at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi on 16.8.2018, Thursday evening after a prolonged illness. The last rites were performed by his foster daughter Namita Bhattacharya.

Floral tributes were offered by President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice- President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman and Army Chief General Bipin Rawat.

The funeral was attended by the King of Bhutan Jigme Khesar Namgyel Wangchuck,many BJP dignitaries, including BJP President Amit Shah, chief ministers such as Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vijay Rupani, Devendra Fadnavis and Yogi Adityanath. Lakhs of people walked in the funeral procession till it reached Smrithi Sthal.

The appeal of Vajpayee cut across party barriers and those who attended his funeral included Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Congress President Rahul Gandhi.