Asthi Kalash of Vajpayee to be immersed in Gangasagar tomorrow

Amid slogans of 'Atalji Zindabad', the West Bengal BJP unit today took out the 'Asthi Kalash Yatra' with the ashes of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

State BJP president Dilip Ghosh and other leaders of the party took out the rally, which covered various parts of central and south Kolkata as it headed towards Gangasagar, where the ashes will be immersed.

"We will immerse the ashes tomorrow at Gangasagar early in the morning. Right now, we are at Rudranagar near Gangasagar," Ghosh said.

Gangasagar is an island off the coast of Bengal where river Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal. Rudranagar is one of the last villages of the Sagar block in South 24 Parganas district.

Union minister Smriti Irani, who was here to join the rally in the morning and offer floral tributes, said she was overwhelmed at the turnout of people, mostly women, along the roads, to pay respects to the former prime minister.

The 'asthi kalash' was brought to Kolkata by Ghosh yesterday evening.

A part of the content from the main 'kalash' (urn) has been distributed in four other urns. The main urn will be immersed at Gangasagar and the four others will be taken to north Bengal, Farakka, Bankura and Nabadwip, Jaiprakash Majumdar, vice-president of West Bengal BJP unit told PTI.

"The people of these areas, too, want to pay their respects to Vajpayee-ji," Majumdar said.

That the people came out in large numbers for the 'Asthi Kalash Yatra' only goes on to show how much Vajpayee-ji was loved and reverred, said Irani, who was part of the rally till Diamond Harbour.

"Tributes were paid to the former PM just the way we pay our respects to elders in our family," the Union textiles minister said.

She also exhorted the people to spread the ideals of the BJP patriarch in the state.

The BJP central leadership has decided to take out 'Asthi Kalash Yatras' in all districts and immerse the ashes in rivers across the country. Processions will start from the state capitals and pass through all blocks, party leaders said.