Chennai: President Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi led the nation in bidding a tearful adieu, as the mortal remains of AIADMK General Secretary and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa was buried with full state honours this evening.
Lakhs of people, cutting across caste, creed and religion, participated in her final journey as the sandal casket containing the body of Jayalalithaa was lowered into a pit near the memorial of her political mentor MGR on the Marina beach front, with a 21 gun salute and the bugle sounding the last post.
The sandal casket was specially made and the name of 'Puratchi Thalaivi Selvi J Jayalaithaa' was engraved in English and Tamil on it. A host of dignatories from across the country, including Mr Pranab Mukherjee, Mr Modi, Tamil Nadu Governor CH Vidayasgar Rao, Union Ministers M Venkaiah Naidu, Ms Nirmala Seetharaman and Pon Radhakrishnan, Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi, newly elected Tamil Nadu Chief Minister O Panneerselvam, his cabinet colleagues, AIADMK MPs and MLAs Chief Ministers of several states, leaders of various political parties, paid their respects before the final began from the Rajaji Hall and culminated at the MGR Memorial.
Ms Jayalalithaa's close aide Sasikala, Mr Panneerselvam and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav were seated in the funeral cortege which passed through the arterial Anna Salai, Wallajah Road and reached the burial spot. It took little over half an hour for the funeral procession to reach the beach front.
Apart from the Governor and members of the ruling AIADMK, those present in the burial site were the Union Ministers, Rahul Gandhi, senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad, TNCC President Su Thirunavukkarasar, MDMK General Secretary Vaiko, among others participated in the final rites. It was a sea of humanity as several lakhs of grief-stricken people thronged the beach front in a bid to have a glimpse of their beloved leader for one last time, amid slogans hailing her renting the air. (UNI)