One lakh people likely at immersion of Atal’s ashes
Arrangements underway for prayer meeting at Jhule Lal Park on Thursday LUCKNOW: An estimated one lakh people are expected to attend the immersion of former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s ashes on the banks of the Gomti here on Thursday.
Senior BJP leaders, including state general secretary (organisation) Sunil Bansal, state general secretary Gobind Shukla and several others visited the Jhule Lal Park here On Sunday. The BJP leaders discussed the arrangements for the immersion with senior bureaucrat Avnish Awasthi, Lucknow SSP Kalanidhi Naithani and others.
Seating arrangement for at least 20,000 people is being made for Thursday’s prayer meeting which would be attended by chief minister Yogi Adityanath, his ministerial colleagues, union home minister and Lucknow MP Rajnath Singh and other leaders.
Vajpayee’s family members too are expected to be present on the occasion.
Before that, the asthi kalash or urns containing the ashes of the late leader would be taken in a procession to various parts of the state and the ashes immersed in rivers in those districts.
The BJP plans to take the urns, accompanied by a minister of the Yogi government and party office bearers, to all 75 districts of the state. Vajpayee’s ashes were to arrive on Sunday but the BJP postponed it at the last minute. UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey and minister Gopal Tandon, who were to leave for Delhi to bring the ashes to Lucknow returned at the eleventh hour and will now leave for the national capital on Tuesday.
Gopal is the son of Vajpayee’s protégé Lalji Tandon whose association with the late prime minister dates back to several decades.
“There are many across the state wanting to have darshan of Vajpayeeji who had an emotional attachment with the state. That’s why all the people would be provided a chance to pay their homage to the great leader,” Tandon said. UP BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey said the urns containing the ashes would be received by senior ministers and party leaders at all divisional headquarters . “I will be in Varanasi and deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya will be in Allahabad. Likewise other ministers and leaders will be present in each district. The urns would be accompanied by senior ministers and leaders all over the state,” he said, adding that leaders of all political parties and religious heads of all faiths would be invited at the immersions.