Sangh pays last respects to Nanaji

NEW DELHI : Sangh pays last respects to Nanaji Deshmukh before his body was donated to AIIMS for medical research, on Sunday. The RSS veteran, who created an “alternative model of development based on Deendayal Upadhyay’s ideals of Integral Humanism” while working in some 500 villages around Chitrakoot (on Uttar Pradesh-Madhya Pradesh border), wanted his body to be donated for medical research after his death.

The body was kept at the RSS headquarter in New Delhi before it was handed over to AIIMS. A wreath was laid on the body on behalf of President Pratibha Patil.

Among those present to pay their last respects were NDA working president L K Advani, Lok Sabha Deputy Speaker Karia Munda, Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Sushma Swaraj, Deputy Leader of Opposition in Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, BJP president Nitin Gadkari, former party president Rajnath Singh, general secretary (organisation) Ramlal, and senior leader Murli Manohar Joshi. RSS general secretary Bhaiyyaji Joshi and senior RSS leaders Madan Das Devi and Suresh Soni were also present.

BJP chief ministers Narendra Modi , Raman Singh and Ramesh Pokhriyal Nishank specially flew down to the capital to pay their last respects to Nanaji while Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan accompanied the body from Chitrakoot. Jharkhand Deputy Chief Minister Raghubar Das was there, and so was a representative of the Karnataka government.

Asserting that Nanaji was a “role model” for the BJP, Advani said: “We should succeed in transforming the image of the ugly Indian politician.” Gadkari said “Nanaji was a source of inspiration due to his sacrifice and service towards Antyodaya (rise of the poorest of poor)”. Modi said Nanaji “had the will to translate vision into action”, while Jaitley said Nanaji was an organiser par excellence. Rajnath recalled his Nanaji “set an example” by refusing a ministerial berth in Morarji Desai’s government in 1977.