Thousands bid tearful farewell to Hegde

Thousands of people on Tuesday bade an emotional farewell to former Karnataka chief minister Ramakrishna Hegde who passed away on Monday afternoon.

In the morning, hundreds of mourners filed past Hegde's body as it lay in state at his residence Kritika. The government had declared a public holiday on Tuesday as a mark of respect to Hegde whose statecraft and political astuteness were widely acknowledged. He had played a key role in shaping a modern Karnataka and emerged as a prime mover in the post-Emergency political scenario.

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Later, his mortal remains were consigned to flames with full state honours at his farmhouse on Bangalore's outskirts. His son, Bharat, lit the pyre. The state government has declared a three-day state mourning.

Among those who paid tributes were Deputy Prime Minister Lal Kishenchand Advani, who flew down from Hyderabad after the BJP's national executive meeting, former prime ministers Chandrashekhar and H D Deve Gowda, NCP leader Sharad Pawar, Karnataka Chief Minister S M Krishna and business tycoon Vijay Mallya, besides state leaders many of who were his protégés.

Both the houses of the state legislature paid rich tributes, recalling his vision, political and administrative skills and personal qualities, with Krishna announcing that a chair would be established in his name in a university for study on economic decentralisation, a concept that was dear to his heart.