Modi, Rahul, Chandrababu Naidu to attend Kalam's funeral

Prime minister Narendra Modi, Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi and others would attend the funeral of A P J Abdul Kalam on Thursday.

Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa would not attend the funeral - near Rameswaram (Tamil Nadu), around 600 km from Chennai - due to "health reasons".

Several chief ministers are expected to attend the funeral of the rocket scientist and former president. Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu would travel to Rameswaram, said sources.

On Wednesday, hundreds of thousands paid homage to the 83-year-old people's president, whose body was taken to a helipad at Mandapam, around 10 km from Rameswaram.

Earlier on Wednesday, an aircraft carried the body from Delhi to Madurai, and a helicopter transported the body to Mandapam.

Union urban development minister Venkaiah Naidu, Union defence minister Manohar Parrikar, and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Syed Shahnawaz Hussain, were at the Delhi airport on Wednesday to pay homage to Kalam. From the Tamil Nadu government's side, state finance minister O Panneerselvam and state electricity minister Natham Viswanathan paid their last respects.

Chief minister Jayalalithaa said: "I have great affection and respect for Kalam. I would like to attend his funeral and pay my respects to him. However, owing to my health condition I am not in a position to travel."

The state has allotted land to bury the body, as requested by his family, she added.

The military has taken over the island of Rameswaram for security arrangements, along with the local police, as several VIPs would also take part in the burial.

Union Minister Naidu said Prime Minister Modi would arrive at Rameswaram at 10.30 am on Thursday for the burial.

Public can pay homage till 8 pm on Wednesday. After which the body will be taken to his ancestral house on Mosque Street. The last rites will be performed on Thursday at a mosque around 11 am.