Veteran Communist leader and the former State secretary of the Communist Party of India (CPI) Veliyam Bhargavan was cremated with full official honours at the Thycaud electric crematorium here on Thursday.
His body, draped in the party flag, was taken from M.N Smarkaram, the CPI State council office, to the cremation ground at 3. 45 p.m..
The funeral procession, led by CPI national council member D. Raja and party State secretary Pannian Ravindran, carrying the mortal remains of the departed leader in a special vehicle reached the cremation ground at 4.15 p.m. His body was consigned to flames at 4. 30 p.m. with official honours.
Speaker G. Karthikeyan; Minister for Home Thiruvanchoor Radhakrishnan; Leader of the Opposition V.S. Achuthanandan; and Congress leader V.M. Sudheeran ;were among those present at the cremation grounds to offer their last respect to one of the foremost Communist leaders in the State.
Earlier in the day, his mortal remains were brought to M. N Smarakam at 8 a.m. from his residence at Vrindavan Gardens at Pattom.
A large number of people, cutting across party lines, thronged the party office to bid adieu to Veliyam Bhargavan.
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy; Finance Minister K.M Mani; Fisheries Minister K Babu; Health Minister V.S Sivakumar; Education Minister P.K. Abdu Rabb; Minister for Urban Affairs Manjalamkuzhi Ali; Tourism Minister A.P Anil Kumar; the former Home Minister Kodiyeri Balakrishan; the former Health Minister P.K Sreemathy; the former Union Minister of State for Railways O. Rajagopal, leaders belonging to the Congress, Indian Union Muslim League, Bharatiya Janata Party, Revolutionary Socialist Party, Nationalist Congress Party, various trade unions, religious and social movements, visited the party office and paid their last respects to the departed leader.
Mr. Bhargavan, who is fondly remembered by party workers as well as admirers as ‘Ashan,’ breathed his last at the Government Medical College Hospital on Wednesday after keeping indifferent health for the last few months.
