Leaders across party lines attend prayers in memory of Vajpayee

Cutting across party affiliations, political heavyweights of Bihar attended an all-faith prayer congregation held here today in the memory of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

Vajpayee, who served as India's prime minister three times, breathed his last on August 16. He was 93.

Priests and clerics from Hindu, Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Buddhist, Jain and Arya Samaj communities offered prayers for the departed soul at the congregation which was held at the S K Memorial Hall.

It was attended by Bihar Governor Satya Pal Malik, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi and Union ministers Radha Mohan Singh, Upendra Kushwaha and Ram Kripal Yadav, among others.

Assembly Speaker Vijay Kumar Choudhary, state BJP chief Nityanand Rai and Bihar Cabinet ministers paid floral tributes to a portrait of Vajpayee.

Opposition leaders like Bihar Congress working president Kaukab Qadri and RJD's state president Ram Chandra Purbey, among others, also attended the prayers.

Meanwhile, a BJP release here said as part of the party's decision to immerse Vajpayee's ashes in 100 rivers across the country, Bihar unit chief Nityanand Rai will bring his 'asthi kalash' (urn of ashes) to Patna from New Delhi on August 22.

BJP leaders, including Union ministers, state ministers, legislators, office-bearers and workers will take part in the procession from the airport to the party office, it said.

The urn will be kept at the BJP's state unit headquarters and on the following day, 'asthi kalash yatras' will be taken out in 11 districts of the state to enable people in different corners to pay their homage, it added.

According to the release, the ashes will be immersed in prominent rivers of Bihar like Ganga, Sone, Punpun, Kosi, Baghmati, Kosi, Mahananda and Gandak over a three-day period from August 23-25.