Kerala can claim to have done justice to former President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam with the top leadership of the government and the Opposition being present at Rameswaram on Thursday to pay homage to the man for whom the State capital was a second home for two decades.
The State was represented by a powerful delegation, in keeping with the esteem with which Kalam has been held in the State where he lived and worked as an Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) scientist. The delegation, led by Governor P. Sathasivam, comprised Chief Minister Oommen Chandy, Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan, Water Resources Minister P.J. Joseph and Panchayat and Social Welfare Minister M.K. Muneer.
The delegation left here for Rameswaram by a special aircraft at 6 a.m. and reached Parandhu by 7.10 a.m. The State administration had arranged a five vehicle convoy from Parandhu to Rameswaram, 40 km away. On reaching the funeral venue, the Governor and the team offered floral tributes before the mortal remains of Kalam.
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The team returned to the State capital by 6 p.m., in time for the Chief Minister to return to the House and announce that the business scheduled for the current session had been exhausted and the House could be prorogued. The State Cabinet met later in the evening to recommend to the Governor proroguing of the House.